Facilitating psychiatric patient follow-up: a study of transfer attrition.
Tested the hypothesis that two brief pre-discharge interventions would improve transfer success for psychiatric inpatients discharged to an outpatient community aftercare program. Seventy-four inpatients viewed one of three videotapes designed to: (1) provide programmatic information about follow-up clinics; (2) shape accurate expectations for outpatient therapy; or (3) provide non-specific emphasis to the importance of aftercare. A baseline group also was employed. As hypothesized, posttest questionnaires showed that experimental Ss had significantly more knowledge of the follow-up program and greater congruence of therapy expectations. A generalized behavioral effect also occurred; the two experimental groups had a higher rate of transfer success (82%) than the controls (59%). No differences in therapy persistence were observed. These findings suggest that mental health centers might improve transfer success by providing inpatients with detailed information about community aftercare programs.
D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000523:psychology*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012718:Set, Psychology