Patient factors associated with appointment non-attendance at an ophthalmology department in Aotearoa New Zealand

Appointment non-attendance is a problem for medical outpatient clinics, which can result in interruption of continuity of care and poor health outcomes for patients. Furthermore, non-attendance creates a significant economic burden to the health sector. This study aimed to identify factors that are associated with appointment non-attendance in a large public ophthalmology clinic in Aotearoa New Zealand. This study was a retrospective analysis of clinic non-attendance within Auckland District Health Board's (DHB) Ophthalmology Department between 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019. Demographic data collected included: age, gender and ethnicity. Deprivation Index was calculated. Appointments were classified as new patients and follow-ups, and acute or routine. Categorical and continuous variables were analysed using logistic regression to assess likelihood of non-attendance. The research team's expertise and capacity align with the CONSIDER statement guidelines for Indigenous health and research. In total, 52,512 patients were scheduled to attend 227,028 outpatient visits, of which 20,580 visits (9.1%) were not attended. Median age of patients who received one or more scheduled appointments were 66.1 years (interquartile range [IQR] 46.9-77.9). Fifty-one point seven percent of patients were female. Ethnicity comprised 55.0% European, 7.9% Māori, 13.5% Pacific peoples, 20.6% Asian and 3.1% Other. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for all appointments showed that males (odds ratio [OR] 1.15 p