[Fewer readmissions of schizophrenic patients who have contact with their own GP]

The object of the study was to investigate to which extent the GP is part of the follow-up treatment of schizophrenic patients after their discharge from a psychiatric department.

During a period of one year, 96 schizophrenic patients were discharged and the patients' GP subsequently answered a questionnaire at six and 12 months after the discharge. The questionnaire, which was completed by 37 practices, contained information as to whether the GP had had any contact with the patients concerned and which services the patient had received. Furthermore, register information concerning the admission pattern during the first 12 months after discharge were obtained.

The majority (73,9%) of the patients had contact with their own GP after discharge, and they had the same number of visits as the background population. The visits primarily concerned somatic problems; however, approximately 25% of the patients had psychiatric problems as the major subject of their visit. Significantly fewer of the patients who had contact with their GP were re-admitted to hospital compared with patients who had no contact with their GP, and patients with contact had needed significantly fewer bed-days at 12 months after discharge than the patients without contact to their GP. After adjustment for prognostic factors the differences remained significant.

An increased shared care between the GP and the psychiatric system in connection with the treatment of patients with chronic mental disorders may reduce re-admittance and relapse and thus improve the prognosis for this group of patients.