Rosen Samantha, Cassidy Julie, Liang Hai-Wei, Wasser Lauren M, Huh Doowon, Williams Andrew M
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Biomed Hub. 2025 Mar 20;10(1):86-92. doi: 10.1159/000545307. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.
Appointment "no-shows" (NS) are a significant issue for glaucoma patients, potentially leading to loss to follow-up, disease progression, and irreversible vision loss. This study investigates sociodemographic and clinical risk factors associated with NS at a tertiary academic eye center.
A retrospective review of 100 glaucoma patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Vision Institute over 1 year was conducted. Patients were categorized as NS if they missed any glaucoma service appointment and as never no-show (NNS) if no appointments were missed. Baseline demographic, medical, and ophthalmic data were collected. Socioeconomic disadvantage was measured using the area deprivation index (ADI) based on residential ZIP codes.
Of 100 patients, 35 were classified as NS and 65 as NNS. NS patients had significantly higher ADI scores (79 vs. 65; = 0.03) and were more frequently Black (54% [19/35] vs. 26% [17/65]; = 0.01). Medical comorbidities were more common in NS patients (83% [29/35] vs. 48% [31/65]; < 0.001), as were mental health diagnoses (34% [12/35] vs. 8% [5/65]; < 0.001). Insurance type, glaucoma type, intraocular pressure, and visual acuity were not significantly different between groups.
Higher socioeconomic disadvantage, Black race, medical comorbidities, and mental health diagnoses were associated with appointment NS among glaucoma patients. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address these risk factors, improve follow-up adherence, and reduce the risk of disease progression.
预约未就诊（NS）对于青光眼患者来说是一个重大问题，可能导致失访、疾病进展以及不可逆转的视力丧失。本研究调查了在一家三级学术眼科中心与预约未就诊相关的社会人口统计学和临床风险因素。
对匹兹堡大学医学中心（UPMC）视觉研究所100例青光眼患者进行了为期1年的回顾性研究。如果患者错过任何青光眼诊疗预约，则将其归类为预约未就诊；如果没有错过任何预约，则归类为从未未就诊（NNS）。收集了基线人口统计学、医学和眼科数据。使用基于居住邮政编码的区域剥夺指数（ADI）来衡量社会经济劣势。
100例患者中，35例被归类为预约未就诊，65例为从未未就诊。预约未就诊患者的ADI得分显著更高（分别为79和65；P = 0.03），且黑人患者比例更高（分别为54%[19/35]和26%[17/65]；P = 0.01）。预约未就诊患者的合并症（分别为83%[29/35]和48%[31/65]；P < 0.001）以及心理健康诊断（分别为34%[12/35]和8%[5/65]；P < 0.001）也更为常见。两组之间的保险类型、青光眼类型、眼压和视力没有显著差异。
社会经济劣势较高、黑人种族、合并症以及心理健康诊断与青光眼患者的预约未就诊相关。这些发现凸显了针对这些风险因素进行有针对性干预的必要性，以提高随访依从性并降低疾病进展风险。
