[Cooperation between social-psychiatric services and psychiatric hospital--expectations and chances of improvement]

Expectations of social-psychiatric services regarding their cooperation with psychiatric hospitals should be examined by qualitative research.

Based upon a content analysis of interviews with nine social-psychiatric services working in the catchment area of a psychiatric hospital, the statements were analysed quantitatively to assess their relative importance.

Expectations on patient related communication between SpDi and hospital staff were expressed most frequently. Further aspects of an "ideal" cooperation from the SpDi's point of view are sympathy for each other, information of patients, community based psychiatric care, and quality of inpatient care.

Social-psychiatric services' expectations represent important clues to improve the cooperation at the interface between outpatient and inpatient care and should be taken into consideration with respect to continuity of treatment of the chronically mentally ill.