• Aaron Burshtein and Paul Shekane.
• Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai West Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
• Pain Pract. 2025 Feb 1; 25 (2): e70003e70003.

ObjectivesChronic pain is a debilitating, multifactorial condition. The purpose of this study was to examine patient characteristics of those who did not show up for their scheduled first pain medicine appointment in order to identify factors that may improve access to care.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of 810 patients from a single-center academic pain management clinic between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.ResultsOverall no-show rate was 57%. There was a mean of 133 days (4.3 months) from scheduling to the appointment date. Patients age ≤ 30 years had the highest no-show rate (69%), and those ≥81 years had the lowest (49%). Hispanic and Caucasian patients had similar no-show rates (59% and 57%, respectively) and Asian patients had lower rate (41%). Referral from another specialty had a significantly lower no-show rate (36% vs. 89%, p < 0.001). The presence of referral (p < 0.001) was a significant predictor of lower no-show rates. Of the 191 patients with low back pain, internal medicine (38.7%) was the most referring specialty.DiscussionHigh no-show rates were present particularly among younger patients. Having a referral from another specialty was an independent predictor of lower no-show rates.© 2025 World Institute of Pain.

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