Researchers: Ilana Kremer ^1,2, Alon Shamir^1,2

Background: Mental health reform aims to improve the performance and service of Mental Health Centers and clinics. Non-attendance at first appointments is a common and problematic phenomenon. It compromises patient safety, affects their treatment outcome, and reduces the quality of care.

Objectives: We determined the prevalence and risk factors of no-show cases at the initial appointment and explored reasons for non-attendance.

Method: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study based on medical records of patients who sought treatment at the outpatient clinics between 2017-2020.

Findings: One thousand four hundred seventy-five medical records of patients who applied to start treatment at the outpatient clinics of the Mazor Mental Health Center were sampled. 279 out of 1475 patients (13.7%) did not attend their first appointment. In the chi-square referral source, the source of the referral, psychiatric, diagnosis, drug use, and traumatic symptoms had a dependent effect on the patient's arrival. Also, the waiting time for the first appointments of the no-show patients was longer. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, it has been found that the probability of a person not showing up for their first medical appointment increases with age, being married, and living far from the clinic. In addition, those who do not report traumatic symptoms have 3.8 times higher chances of missing their appointment.

Conclusions: From the initial analyses, it appears that the patient who would be defined as a no-show is a single/widower, unemployed, drug user with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum who had trauma in the past.

Recommendations: Shortening the waiting time, monitoring patient profiles, sending reminders, and opening the clinic in the afternoon can help reduce no-shows.

Research end date: 07/2023