Pilot study of a behavioral medicine program in a community hospital setting

The authors designed and implemented a comprehensive behavioral medicine unit for a diagnostically mixed patient population in a community hospital setting. The unit emphasized behavioral adaptation rather than symptom relief. Behavioral adaptation for each patient was assessed by a 10 parameter Functional Analysis Questionnaire upon admission, at time of discharge and 6 months after discharge. Results of this pilot study indicated success for all treatment groups with greatest gains for patients suffering chronic pain. The study suggests that comprehensive application of behavioral medicine procedures and programs can be successful with a diagnostically mixed patient population and could provide an operational foundation for mixed medical-psychiatric units.