Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jesus Tanguma

Abstract

To improve how healthcare is being provided, many states have focused on enhancing patients' health experiences and outcomes and reducing the per capita cost of care. Even though appointment follow-up is an important part in outpatient treatment programs, not much is known about practical methods to help individuals with mental illnesses into ongoing treatment. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine to what extent patient appointment follow-up adherence at a family health center in New York predicts negative health outcomes and hospitalizations among patients receiving psychological treatment. The theoretical foundation that framed this study was the theory of planned behavior. Two research questions measured whether there was statistically significant difference between the dependent variable (number of emergency room visits) and the independent variables (number of follow-up appointments and caseworker status). A causal-comparative research design was used to examine archival data, and multiple linear regression analysis was done to analyze the data. Findings indicated that the number of mental health visits and having a caseworker are important factors in appointment follow-up. The findings of this study have organizational and societal implications for social change. Government agencies as well as mental health advocates may benefit from the findings of this study, which can encourage more attention on the quality of care for those with mental health diagnoses. Thus, the findings may lead to developing improved care.

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