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Non-attendance at new appointments at St James's Child Guidance Clinic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Norbert Skokauskas ,
Tom Moran  and
Sarah Buckley
Norbert Skokauskas*
Affiliation:
SPR in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St James's Child Guidance Clinic, St James's Hospital, St James's street, Dublin 8, Ireland
Tom Moran
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St James's Child Guidance Clinic, St James's Hospital, St James's street, Dublin 8, Ireland
Sarah Buckley
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St James's Child Guidance Clinic, St James's Hospital, St James's street, Dublin 8, Ireland
*
*Correspondence Email: n_skokauskas@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine non-attendance rates at new appointments at St James's Child Guidance Clinic.

Method: The sample consisted of all new referrals to St. James's Child Guidance Clinic in one calendar year (2004). Data was collected retrospectively from an electronic patient information system (Pinpoint), the new patient-referral logbook, referral letters, the appointment diary, and from clinical records.

Results: There were 260 new referrals to St James's Child Guidance Clinic in 2004. Out of the 260 children and adolescents granted a new appointment, 34 (13.07%) who failed to keep their appointment were identified. All patients granted an urgent appointment did attend.

Conclusions: Non-attendance rates at new assessment in St James's Child Guidance Clinic were slightly lower than those reported in other studies. The implemented evidence-based strategies to reduce non-attendance rates could explain the relatively low non-attendance rate at new assessment.

Keywords

Non-attendanceNew appointmentChild and adolescent mental health clinicCompliance
Type
Brief reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 20 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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