title: A review of the literature and a preliminary study of family compliance in a developmental disabilities clinic.
abstract: To investigate the compliance of family members with the treatment recommended for patients, three child and adolescent psychiatrists assessed the charts of all active outpatients in a developmental disabilities clinic in the psychiatric department of a tertiary care municipal hospital utilizing a Family Compliance Checklist, a survey form for chart review, in October, 1993 (n = 40), and in April, 1994 (n = 41). Almost no clients missed appointments over a 6-mo. period. Only one family refused to permit the use of medication. Three families refused to make appointments. The majority of the patients were Hispanic and almost half were Roman Catholic. We conclude that most families of patients in a developmental disabilities clinic comply with recommended treatment plans including scheduled appointments and prescribed medications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016-6481, USA. brasij01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Brasić
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Will
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Nadrich
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McNally
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000628:therapy*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance