Predicting service utilization after psychiatric hospitalization

The purposes of this study were to determine (1) the extent of service utilization in the posthospitalization period and (2) the probability of specified service utilization outcomes for patients with given characteristics, using ordered logit models. The sample consisted of former inpatients who were evaluated for 6 months and responded to a mailed questionnaire or telephone interview at both the 3- and 6-month follow-up points. Significant independent predictors of service utilization at 6 months were the diagnosis, length of hospital stay, history of suicide attempts, perceived stress, and medication compliance at 3 months. High service utilization was evident in a sizable proportion of the sample and could be predicted using this model.