Clinic Appointment Attendance in Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Diabetes.

Objective: We assessed characteristics that may predict outpatient appointment attendance in outpatient medical clinics among patients comorbid for serious mental illness (SMI) and type 2 diabetes (DM).

Methods: Baseline covariate data from 200 individuals with SMI-DM enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) were used to examine characteristics associated with electronic health record-identified clinic appointment attendance using a generalized estimating equations approach. The analyses evaluated the relationship between clinic attendance and potentially modifiable factors including disease knowledge, self-efficacy, social support, physical health, and mental health, as well as demographic information.

Results: Demographic and mental health characteristics were most associated with clinic attendance in adults with SMI-DM. Physical health was not associated with clinic attendance.

Conclusions: Information on clinical and demographic characteristics and factors potentially modifiable by psychological interventions may be useful in improving adherence to treatment among SMI-DM patients. It is our hope that clinicians and researchers will use these results to help tailor adherence-facilitating interventions among people at particular risk for poor engagement in care.