The problems of collecting the Körner minimum data set at a District Psychiatric Hospital

The Körner report recommends that there should be an annual census of all in-patients in psychiatric units who have been there in excess of one year. A study involving the collection of the 'Körner Minimum Data Set' at a district psychiatric unit found that the current patient information system does not always provide adequate or accurate information. It is also found that seeking these data is time-consuming if the census enumerator is not involved with patient care. It is therefore suggested that the most accurate information on long stay psychiatric patients might be obtained if such a census were conducted and coded by DHSS collectors using a special census form to be completed by the ward doctor. The accuracy of medical records might also be improved if the completion of the front sheet of the case notes were made the responsibility of the ward doctor.