Issues regarding nonattendance at a paediatric dermatology centre

Nonattendance in paediatric dermatology clinics is a significant problem. We reviewed the charts of all 400 new referrals to the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) paediatric dermatology clinic in the year 2000. Sixty-six patients (17%) did not attend. The mean age +/- SD of attenders (7.5 +/- 5.1 years) and nonattenders (7.7 +/- 4.5 years) did not differ significantly. Forty-eight per cent of the referrals were females, 50% of the attenders were females and 67% of the nonattenders were male. Males were 2.1-fold more likely not to attend clinic relative to females (95% confidence interval 1.14-3.71, P = 0.010). Nonattendance was significantly higher among referrals from the PWH emergency department, compared with referrals by private practitioners (P = 0.05) and referrals by other clinics in the PWH. Data in this retrospective study confirm that there is a gender disparity in hospital nonattendance. More dermatological referrals but more nonattendance were associated with the male patients.