A comparison of two different services treating schizophrenia: a cost-benefit approach

This study compares the clinical and social outcome for 2 cohorts of patients who had a first admission for schizophrenia 4 years earlier. One cohort was treated in a psychiatric unit attached to a teaching district general hospital (DGH)(T)), while the other was treated at an area mental hospital (AMH) with modern rehabilitation facilities. The clinical outcome for the 2 cohorts was broadly similar, but the DGH(T) imposed less of a strain on relatives, and was associated with less unmet need. The DGH unit tended to have significantly shorter durations of stay for its patients, so that its total hospital costs were less than those for the AMH despite higher unit costs. The cost-benefit analysis shows that, where these particular patients are concerned, the DGH(T) unit is economically superior to the AMH despite the fact that it supports a large teaching staff, and that these economic advantages are accompanied by various non-monetary advantages.