Reasons for nonattendance for the treatment of venous ulcers in an inner-city clinic.

PURPOSE

This study examined the reasons that people attending an inner-city wound clinic gave for missing appointments and compared these reasons with those of people who did not have chronic wounds.

METHODS

Thirty-six patients with venous ulcers and 115 people without leg ulcers responded to a survey that queried the reasons for missing clinic appointments. Consecutive sampling was used to obtain participants. The Clinic Attendance Questionnaire was developed for the study and consisted of a demographic section and the Reasons for Nonattendance Questionnaire, which has 45 Yes/No items. Items in the Reasons for Nonattendance Questionnaire were sorted by the investigators into 5 subscores (Personal, Clinic Problem, Illness, Mental Health, and Social). Questionnaires were read to participants. Data were not collected from patients who kept all appointments or from new patients.

RESULTS

The primary reasons that patients seeking wound care gave for missing appointments were no ride, no money, out of town, forgot, and in too much pain. People with leg ulcers had significantly more Social, Illness, Personal, and Total reasons, but fewer Clinic Problem reasons, for missing appointments than did the people without leg ulcers. The two groups did not differ in their rating of health, importance of health, or age. Most of the people with leg ulcers had a history of illicit drug abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonattendance for clinic appointments may delay healing of venous ulcers and decrease the efficiency of the clinic. Reasons for missing wound clinic appointments are numerous and may vary with the patient's condition and background.