Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the characteristics of non-attenders in a psychiatric outpatient setting.
METHODS: A retrospective study evaluates patients’ attendance for one year after the initial visit to the outpatient clinic in Al-Amal complex for mental health in Riyadh, from 30th July 2003 to 22nd January 2004. Information including sociodemographic data and other factors such as psychiatrist grade and nationality, type of medication, and so forth, were analyzed.
RESULTS: The total sample was 73 patients, and the non-attendance rate was 34.2%. The study showed the difference between attenders and non-attenders for some factors, but it was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Although the result was not significant from the statistical viewpoint, it sheds light upon important confounding factors that need to be evaluated thoroughly, such as stigma, which characterizes mental health practice in particular.
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