title: Application of a case-control design to the analysis of drop-outs from integrated behavioural health care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Case-control designs are rarely employed in quality improvement investigations. The reason for the study was two-fold: (1) to demonstrate the feasibility of the method in a practice setting, and (2) because drop-outs from this programme had not previously been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Drop-out was defined as termination due to non-contact after two consecutive months. Fifty drop-outs were randomly selected from all cases discharged from the programme during the period 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2012. Fifty controls were randomly selected from among those discharged patients who did not drop out due to non-contact.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dropping out was significantly associated with female sex (P = 0.015), younger age (P = 0.000) and treatment site (P = 0.004). Sites still in the shake-down period had higher drop-out rates. Depression diagnosis and severity were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The case-control design is an efficient approach to retrospective analysis of discrete quality indicators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. rohrer.james@mayo.edu
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rohrer
authors.forename: Kurt B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Angstman
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pecina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies