Evaluation of 294 psychiatric consultations involving in-patients above 70 years of age in somatic departments in a university hospital.
The integrated geropsychiatric service of the Psychiatric Department of the University Hospital in Linköping consists of an observation ward, a day unit and an out-patient unit. One of the main tasks of the last-mentioned unit is to provide geropsychiatric consultations for in-patients in the non-psychiatric departments of the hospital. During the first 2 years from October 1982 to October 1984 300 consultations were performed. The consultations included registration of social, medical and psychiatric data, a psychiatric examination, discussions with the staff and a psychiatric report. Out of the total number of 300 consultations 294 could be evaluated completely. They comprised 247 individuals. The evaluation was performed after the first 2 years by screening the patients' psychiatric records and reports and by computer-analysis of 89 variables covering medical as well as social data. The patients' mean age was 78 years and 52% were treated in the Department of Internal Medicine. Fifty-three percent had had previous psychiatric contacts. Many were suffering from serious somatic diseases and 22% from depressive states. Only 9% showed no signs of psychiatric disorders. Twenty-three percent of the patients were transferred to the geropsychiatric observation ward or day unit and only 3% were recommended to be certified and transferred to a mental hospital. Pertinent findings are discussed in the light of international data on geropsychiatric consultations and liaison psychiatry. The study shows the importance of providing special geropsychiatric consultations for in-patients in somatic departments as a part of an integrated geropsychiatric service.
Pauser
H
H
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
Bergström
B
B
Wålinder
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013548:Sweden