Sociodemographic Predictors of Missed Appointments Among Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE

To identify disparities in compliance of and care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) by determining the impact of sociodemographic variables on the rate of missed appointments and Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement.

DESIGN

A retrospective, noninterventional quality assessment and quality improvement study were designed.

SETTING

This institutional study was performed at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

PATIENTS: All patients born between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014, who underwent surgical CL/P repair, excluding those with fewer than 5 appointments (n = 178).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The rate of missed appointments, calculated as the total number of no-show appointments divided by the total number of scheduled appointments. All appointments from CL/P diagnosis to data collection were considered, including those outside of plastic surgery.

RESULTS

The average patient was 4.5 years of age and had 49 total scheduled appointments. The overall rate of missed appointments was 9.6%, with 66.8% of patients missing at least 1 scheduled visit. Patients who were black ( P = .04), not affiliated with a religion ( P = .01), Medicaid users ( P = .01), from an unstable social background ( P = .01), or received need-based financial assistance ( P = .00) were significantly more likely to miss appointments. Child Protective Services was involved with 3.9% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Disparities exist in attendance rates among patients with CL/P, and at-risk patient populations have been identified. The allocation of cleft care resources must be efficiently planned in order to enhance the quality of care for at-risk individuals.