Reducing hospital readmission rates among schizophrenics.
Most schizophrenics become in-patients in State mental hospitals, and most improve on neuroleptic medication and are rapidly discharged. The majority require long-term medication; the single most important factor in maintaining remission. This paper describes a mirror-image study using patients as their own controls, and demonstrates the highly significant differences in hospitalization before and after the administration of a depot phenothiazine. It highlights the need for vigorous and determined out-patient follow-up. It is suggested that the costs of an adequately staffed clinic are still small when compared with the costs of hospitalization. Subgroups of poor drug-responders, sex differences, variations in side effects and frequency of administration of the depot drug require further evaluation.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005260:Female; D005476:Fluphenazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012737:Sex Factors
D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005476:Fluphenazine