Predicting psychiatric inpatient costs.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Health Economics
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Inpatient care constitutes a significant portion of mental health expenditure.
• Understanding patient-level cost variation in inpatient psychiatric settings is limited.
• Identifying cost drivers is crucial for resource allocation and service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the costs associated with staff contacts and patient activities on inpatient psychiatric wards.
• To identify patient-specific factors that predict these costs.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 334 inpatients from psychiatric hospital wards in south London (2008-2009).
• Data collection included patient interviews, recording of staff contacts and activity use over one week.
• Cost calculations and regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of costs.

Main Results:

• 78% of participants utilized activities, and 90% had staff contact, yet 41% reported no nurse contact.
• Mean weekly costs were £197 for staff contacts and £30 for activities.
• Staff contact costs decreased with age; activity costs increased with higher education levels. Patient satisfaction correlated positively with both cost measures.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported staff contacts and activity use represent a minor component of overall inpatient mental health costs.
• Higher patient-incurred costs may be associated with increased patient satisfaction.
• Further research is needed to explore the full spectrum of inpatient cost determinants.