title: Attendance failure at Middlemore Hospital asthma clinic.
abstract: A population of 138 outpatients' sociodemographic and sociobehavioural characteristics and clinic organisational factors were studied in response to a concern about poor attendance rates at Middlemore Hospital's asthma clinic. Low and nonattendance was found to be higher among Maoris (44.7%) and Pacific Islanders (31.6%), outpatients of lower socioeconomic status (SES group 5 and 6, 55.3%), and those referred from the accident and emergency (A & E) department (66%). Migration out of the south Auckland region was common among the group of low attending outpatients (23.9%). Since neither the clinic nor the outpatients' general practitioners were aware of this group's migrational movement there exists a large population who do not have regular medical care and are therefore at risk of significant morbidity or mortality from their asthma.
authors.affiliation: Green Lane Hospital, Auckland.
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: McClellan
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Garrett
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People