Five-year rehospitalization experience of a state-wide cohort of persons with schizophrenia

This study has the objective of assessing the psychiatric rehospitalization experience of a large cohort of persons with schizophrenia and modeling the effects of personal and systemic conditions on rehospitalization risk.

The study employs a secondary analysis of US data from Massachusetts' casemix database of all patients discharged from acute general hospital units. It focuses on 11,291 patients during 1994-2000 who were discharged from acute adult psychiatric units. Predictors used include basic demographics, length of stay, continuity of care with doctors and facilities, diagnoses, discharge referral, type of insurance, and distance to and selected socioeconomic characteristics of the patient's home zip code. Data are analyzed with descriptive statistics and modeled with the Cox proportional hazard model. The model was assessed through split-half reliability testing, the generalized R², and Harrell's Concordance Index.

Overall, 13.4% of patients were rehospitalized within 1 month; 38.9% within 1 year; and 64.1% within 5 years. Predictors that are most strongly associated with lower rehospitalization rates include continuity of care, discharge to a chronic hospital, and density of home zipcode, whereas discharge to another acute psychiatric unit had the greatest effect on increasing risk of rehospitalization. Overall the Cox model has generalized R² of 0.343 and a Concordance Index of 0.734.

The results highlight the need to enhance the continuity of the relationships with providers, whether these are with the assigned psychiatrists or other therapists and case managers, as well as workplace issues involving staff turnover and hospital assignment and admitting policies.