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Psychotherapy appointment no-shows: rates and reasons
Jared A DeFife1, Carolyn Z Conklin2, Janna M Smith2
1Department of Psychology, Emory University.
Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.)
|March 10, 2012
Summary
Most psychotherapy appointment no-shows stem from occasional patient absences, not frequent ones. Reasons include clinical symptoms, practical issues, motivation, and negative treatment experiences.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Healthcare Administration
Background:
- Patient no-shows in psychotherapy create significant administrative and clinical challenges.
- Previous research primarily addressed demographic/administrative factors and interventions for reducing no-shows.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rates of missed psychotherapy appointments in a clinical setting.
- To explore clinical process factors associated with patient no-shows.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 24 psychotherapists and 542 patients in a public safety-net hospital's outpatient department.
- Examined the frequency and reasons for missed psychotherapy appointments.
Main Results:
- The majority of missed appointments were attributed to patients with occasional absences (around 1 per month).
- A small proportion of patients accounted for high-frequency no-shows.
- Identified reasons for missed appointments: clinical symptoms, practical matters, motivational concerns, and negative treatment reactions.
Conclusions:
- Occasional patient absences are the primary driver of missed psychotherapy appointments.
- Understanding diverse patient-reported reasons is crucial for developing targeted interventions to improve appointment adherence.
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