Timing of psychiatric consultations: the impact of social vulnerability and level of psychiatric dysfunction.
The authors examined the timing of patient referrals to a psychiatric consultation-liaison service in relation to the patient's social vulnerability and level of psychiatric dysfunction. One hundred consecutive patients were assessed with the INTERMED, a method to document biopsychosocial and health care-related aspects of disease. Although 30% of patients were referred within the first day of admission, 19% of requests for referrals were made after 2 weeks. Late referral was associated with high social vulnerability and early referral with severe psychiatric dysfunction. The authors illustrate the disadvantages of a psychiatric liaison model focusing on psychopathology alone and demonstrate the need for an integrated patient assessment in the general hospital, focusing on detecting frail elderly patients.
de Jonge
P
P
Psychiatry Service, Vrije Universiteit Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.dejonge@azvu.nl
Huyse
F J
FJ
Ruinemans
G M
GM
Stiefel
F C
FC
Lyons
J S
JS
Slaets
J P
JP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012944:Social Support