Returning for follow up: attendance compliance in an Indian psychiatric clinic.

Attendance compliance was studied in first time outpatient attenders at an Indian psychiatric clinic. Compliance was positively associated with the patient's willingness to attend the initial consultation, being given an early appointment time for the first follow up appointment, good work prognosis and informing the patient's accompanying relative of this good work prognosis. Factors associated with decreased compliance were telling the patient the expected duration of treatment and an illness duration of less than six months at the time of presentation. The results have implications for timing of the subsequent appointment, developing rapport with the patient and being circumspect about what the patient is told.