Psychiatric readmissions in a community-based sample of patients with mental disorders

This study examined whether receipt of outpatient psychiatric services after hospital discharge was associated with reduced risk of readmission.

Treatment records from patients admitted to San Diego County psychiatric hospitals over a one-year period were obtained from the San Diego County Behavioral Health Services electronic health record system. A discrete-time proportional hazards model was used to examine the association of receipt of outpatient psychiatric services with readmission within 30 days of discharge from the index hospitalization.

Of the 4,663 patients, 16% were readmitted within 30 days. In an adjusted model, receipt of outpatient therapy after discharge was associated with a greater likelihood of being readmitted (hazard ratio=1.36, 95% confidence interval=1.14-1.67), whereas receipt of case management or medication management was not associated with readmission.

The differential risk of readmission by service type suggests a need for studies that explore reasons for an increased risk of readmission with certain types of services.