Against medical advice: Part I, A review of the literature.

As a preliminary step to studying the Army's experience with against medical advice (AMA) discharges, the literature was reviewed. Fifty-one articles were found through a computer program search. These articles reported widely varying rates depending upon the type of patient, primary diagnosis, and type of setting. Patients with drug and/or alcohol abuse problems are at significantly higher risk for AMA. No civilian studies have been identified which evaluate long-term trends.