title: Readmissions to a psychiatric hospital. Outcome on follow-up.
abstract: Readmissions to South African psychiatric hospitals form 45% of their intake and constitute a considerable burden on staff and facilities. The situation was investigated in a series of 460 patients sequentially admitted to a large, actively admitting hospital (Valkenberg Hospital, Cape Town). There was a difference in the proportion of readmissions within 1 year for different population groups--26,5% for white, 41% for coloured and 42% for black patients. The factors influencing this are explored. There was a marked difference in diagnoses--schizophrenics and affective disorders being more common in the black and coloured cohorts. Possible reasons for this are discussed. A 2-year post-discharge follow-up study showed a marked and sustained fall in the severity of psychiatric symptoms and difficult behaviour for all cohorts, but not of functional impairment, which was present in approximately 90% of all patients. Adequate aftercare and rehabilitation facilities in the community are evidently lacking.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy