Related Experiment Videos
The long-term effect of outpatient commitment on service use
B M Rohland1, J E Rohrer, C C Richards
1Department of Health Services Research and Management, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock 79430, USA. sombmr@ttuhsc.edu
Abstract:
The long-term effect of outpatient commitment on service use was evaluated in 81 patients with serious and persistent mental illness. An increased number of outpatient visits and a decreased number of hospital admissions, total hospital days, and lengths of stay were observed during commitment periods of greater than 1 year relative to levels of use in the same patients over the 12-month period preceding commitment. This study provides support that outpatient commitment improves compliance with outpatient treatment and reduces hospital use in patients who are on outpatient commitment to a single treatment agency for periods up to 5 years.