Psychological Characteristics of Frequent Short-Notice Cancellers of Diabetes Medical and Education Appointments

Failure to attend scheduled medical appointments increases the cost of medical care (1) and may impact successful diabetes management (2). Short-notice cancellations of medical or educator appointments (no-shows and cancellations made within 24 h of an appointment) cannot be easily filled, resulting in lost revenue without a corresponding reduction in labor and facilities costs. Short-notice cancellations also impact the quality of overall patient care. Such cancellations reduce the number of appointments available to all patients, thus some patients needing more prompt medical attention may be placed on a waitlist. Furthermore, less frequent attendance at a diabetes clinic has been associated with poorer glycemic control (3). Finally, health professionals may develop negative attitudes toward those patients who frequently cancel appointments (4), which may undermine the clinician-patient relationship.

Although previous studies have attempted to identify demographic characteristics of patients who either did not schedule, cancelled, or did not attend appointments (2,5–12), we focused on psychological characteristics of patients with short-notice cancellations and the impact of these cancellations on successful diabetes management and cost of care. Specifically, in a prospective study, we asked whether short-notice cancellers differed in risk appraisal, coping processes, attitudes toward diabetes, and diabetes self-management from those who never cancelled.