MISSED AND CANCELED APPOINTMENTS AT A MILITARY PSYCHIATRY CLINIC

Previous studies have examined missed appointments in psychiatric outp atients, but military patients have not been studied. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients who miss o r cancel appointments in a military outpatient psychiatry clinic. Duri ng a 75-day period, patients presenting to the Walter Reed Army Medica l Center outpatient psychiatry clinic mere tracked for missed and canc eled appointments. Patients included active duty and retired service m embers as well as military dependents. For each missed or canceled app ointment, the treating psychiatrist completed a questionnaire detailin g clinical information and information regarding the missed or cancele d appointment. Within the study period, 20% of all scheduled appointme nts were either missed or canceled. Fifty-two percent of the patients who missed or canceled appointments called within 2 weeks to reschedul e. Of those patients who missed or canceled appointments, 27% missed o r canceled more than once during the study period. Active duty patient s mere significantly more likely to miss and less likely to reschedule than military dependents and retirees.