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[Long-term psychiatric patients at a district psychiatric department]
1Horsens Sygehus, psykiatrisk afdeling.
Insights
Long-term psychiatric patients, particularly young individuals with schizophrenia, represent a significant challenge for community psychiatric services. This study highlights their substantial utilization of department facilities.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Community Mental Health
Background:
- Community psychiatric principles aim to integrate mental healthcare into local settings.
- Long-term psychiatric patients require ongoing assessment and resource allocation within these community models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize long-term psychiatric patients within a community psychiatric department.
- To determine the prevalence and care utilization patterns of this patient group.
Main Methods:
- A census of long-term psychiatric patients was conducted on August 1, 1987, at Horsens Sygehus, Denmark.
- Patient data regarding age, diagnosis, and annual care utilization (average days) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- A prevalence of 1.6/1000 was found for long-term psychiatric patients.
- The average patient utilization was 111 days per year.
- Patients aged 30-39 and those diagnosed with schizophrenia showed particularly high facility usage.
Conclusions:
- Long-term psychiatric patients, especially younger individuals with schizophrenia, pose a considerable challenge to community psychiatric departments.
- Effective management strategies are needed to address the needs of this demographic within community settings.
Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to describe the long-term patients in a psychiatric department conducted according to community psychiatric principles. A hundred and forty-one psychiatric long-term patients were found in the psychiatric department in Horsens Sygehus, Denmark, at a census on August 1, 1987. This corresponds to a prevalence proportion of 1.6/1000. The patients' utilization of care in the department during one year was 111 days on an average. In particular, patients aged 30-39 years and the schizophrenics used the facilities. The study emphasizes that long-term patients, and especially young schizophrenics, present a great problem to community psychiatric department.