This paper examines demographic and geographic factors associated with non- attendance for first specialist assessment (FSA) in publicly-funded New Zealand rheumatology services and it suggests changes in service provision that might improve attendance rates. The study researchers collected administrative data for 1953 new referrals over a 2-year period from a single public rheumatology unit. Non-attendance was found to be associated with ethnicity, age and waiting times. Māori and Pacific Peoples were each almost twice as likely to miss a FSA (p=0.02; OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.11 to 3.15 and OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.11 to 3.22) as New Zealand Europeans. Patients aged 20–29 years were least likely to attend appointments (p≤0.001; OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.59 to 4.98). Non-attendance was independently associated with longer waiting times to FSA; the uneven provision of services and being domiciled further from the main rheumatology clinic were strong predictors of longer waiting times (p≤0.001).
