A profile of academic medical-psychiatric units

Medical-psychiatric inpatient programs are a relatively recent phenomenon. Although interest in these programs seems widespread, they are still found primarily at academic medical centers. The authors surveyed 11 such academic units. Variations found between their patient populations, milieu, and organization suggest that these programs, in general, are still in an early stage of evolution. It is hoped that these data will provide a descriptive base of how these programs have developed.