Factors associated with readmission to a psychiatric facility

This study examined patient-related factors that were associated with readmission to a tertiary care psychiatric hospital in Canada. The charts of a random sample of 200 patients were reviewed from an index discharge date in 1991 through subsequent rehospitalizations over the next three years. Eighty-eight patients (44 percent) were readmitted at least once. The only variable that significantly differentiated patients who were readmitted from those who were not was a history of admission. System variables or factors that are not patient related, such as staff attitudes and perceptions, may contribute to readmission and thus may warrant further exploration.