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The demand for extramural psychiatric intervention in a community-based service
M Tansella1, R Micciolo, C Zimmermann-Tansella
1Cattedra e Servizio di Psicologia Medica, Università di Verona, Italy.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences
|January 1, 1989
Summary
This study analyzed unplanned psychiatric community service contacts. Findings reveal complex interactions between patient factors and urgent service use, impacting community mental health care.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Community Mental Health Services
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Extramural psychiatric services provide crucial community-based care.
- Understanding patterns of service utilization, particularly unplanned contacts, is vital for resource allocation and patient support.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the interplay of factors influencing urgent community psychiatric service use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with unplanned (drop-in) contacts within a community psychiatric service.
- To analyze the frequency and predictors of urgent service utilization over a 3-year period.
- To identify complex interactions influencing the probability of unplanned community mental health service engagement.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year follow-up study of 549 patients with extramural contacts with the South-Verona Community Psychiatric Service, initiated in 1983.
- Analysis of 12,429 total extramural contacts, with a focus on the 16% identified as unplanned.
- Application of a linear-logistic model to examine the joint effects of sociodemographic and clinical variables on unplanned contact frequency.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion (16%) of all extramural contacts were unplanned or drop-in.
- The linear-logistic model indicated a complex interplay of variables influencing unplanned service use.
- Multiple significant interactions among sociodemographic and clinical factors were identified, affecting the probability of urgent community service access.
Conclusions:
- Sociodemographic and clinical factors significantly interact to influence the likelihood of patients accessing community psychiatric services on an unplanned basis.
- The findings underscore the complexity of urgent care needs in community mental health settings.
- Effective management of community psychiatric services requires consideration of these intricate variable interactions to address urgent patient needs.