title: Effectiveness and cost of community care for schizophrenic patients.
abstract: Schizophrenic patients in Mannheim, West Germany, were studied to determine whether psychiatric treatment in the community reduces duration and frequency of rehospitalization, whether it has an impact on symptomatology and behavior, and whether it can be provided less expensively than hospital care. The findings showed a relationship between increased psychiatric outpatient treatment and lower levels of inpatient care as well as between psychiatric aftercare and reduced symptomatology and disease-related behavior. The cost of community care was found to be substantially lower than that of hospital care for less disabled patients, but it exceeded the cost of hospital care for the more severely disabled.
authors.affiliation: University of Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Häfner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: an der Heiden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*