Assessment of inpatient treatment of patients with schizophrenia in Japan: implications for practice

This descriptive study examined a stratified random sample by month of 202 persons with schizophrenia hospitalized on an inpatient unit at a nonprofit hospital located in Tokyo, Japan in 1998. This is one of the first studies reported that evaluates the inpatient care provided to persons with schizophrenia. The average length of stay was 107 days. The master treatment largely focused on medication management with other domains including daily observations and documentation of care not meeting the standard of care. Over 25% of the patients were in restraints during their hospitalization. Two patient deaths were reported. Problematic areas were patient teaching, monitoring of medication side effects, treatment planning, and discharge planning. The study site is fully accredited and attending physicians were all psychiatrists. How pervasive these deficiencies are in other settings is not known. The findings of the study were shared with the professional staff.