High rates of missed GP visits found among patients with ADHD

Missing a GP appointment isn't just annoying — over time, it can have a serious health impact. Research has found that patients with long-term conditions may be more at risk of premature death because of missed appointments; of note, those with long-term mental health conditions who missed more than two appointments per year had a more than eight-fold increase in mortality compared to those who missed none.

In a new study, the team behind this research looks more closely at a particular diagnosis: ADHD. They find that those with ADHD are between 60 and 90% more likely to miss GP appointments, posing further questions about whether symptoms which prevent them accessing healthcare in a timely manner may leave them more vulnerable to health complications.

Data for this research was gathered from 136 GP practices across Scotland, through which the team looked at attended and missed appointment data from nearly 825,000 patients, with or without ADHD, between 2013 and 2016.

Their analyses showed that both children and adults with ADHD were much more likely to miss multiple GP appointments during the period of the study. While 10% of children and young people without ADHD missed an appointment annually, 21% of those with ADHD missed at least one, and 8% missed two or more. For adults, 23% of those without ADHD missed at least one appointment per year; in those with ADHD, that figure was 38%, and 16% missed two or more.      

Although the study does not look at the impact of missing appointments, as we mentioned up top, previous research indicates that there is a strong relationship between missing appointments and negative health outcomes. Given that this study also found that participants with ADHD diagnoses had higher levels of co-morbidity with both mental and physical health conditions than those without, the risks of missing doctor appointments for those with ADHD may be more consequential for patient health than might be expected.

There are many reasons why patients with ADHD might miss appointments, including planning, initiating, and memory issues that many with the diagnosis experience. This suggests further scope for developing and deploying interventions which help patients with ADHD attend appointments, and highlights the need for clinicians to explore barriers to accessibility that may limit attendance.  

Read the paper in full:
McQueenie, R., Ellis, D. A., Williamson, A., & Wilson, P. (2024). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and serial missed appointments in general practice. 1(2), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000045