Psychiatric liaison with private facilities caring for discharged patients.
Motivated by concern about the fate of psychiatric hospital patients after discharge to the community, a community mental health center decided to send a psychiatrist into the community to establish liaison with private-care facilities and to determine the needs of such discharged patients. As a result of the psychiatrist's efforts, owners of the area's private-care facilities acquired a better understanding of the needs of their residents and learned where they could turn for help in caring for discharge psychiatric patients. A study of one board-and-care facility revealed a marked decrease in the use of the center's emergency service and in the number of hospital admissions after one year of this extended service.
D000359:Aftercare; D000368:Aged; D002140:California; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006760:Hospitalization; D006765:Hospitals, Convalescent; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010359:Patient Readmission; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric