Factors affecting utilization of diabetes care are not well-studied. This information may help develop strategies to improve the efficiency of healthcare systems. We conducted a study to determine factors associated with repeatedly missing an appointment at a major diabetes care center. Data were obtained from electronic medical records. All patients with two or more appointments during the year 2017 were included in analysis. Patients who missed ≥50% of their clinic visits without cancelling an appointment were defined as the repeatedly missed appointment (RMA) group and those who missed <50% appointments were defined as the regularly attended appointment (RAA) group. All patients had equal opportunity to keep or cancel an appointment irrespective of their insurance coverage. Out of 1,417 patients, 147 (10.4%) had missed ≥50% of their scheduled clinic visits. Mean number of appointments was similar in the RMA group (3.0 ± 1.3) and in the RAA group (2.8 ± 1.2; P = 0.29). A comparison of characteristics between the two groups is shown in Table 1. Multivariate regression analysis showed that younger age, higher BMI, higher HbA1c and lower serum albumin were independent predictors of the percentage of missed appointments. We conclude that patients who repeatedly miss their diabetes appointments have poor overall health and worse diabetes control. Strategies need to be developed to improve utilization of diabetes care by these patients.
R. Garg: None. W.H. Cade: None. E. Bernal-Mizrachi: None.
