Psychiatric consultations in a southern university hospital.
BACKGROUND
Differences in psychiatric referral rates among demographic groups of general hospital patients between 1995 and 1998 in a southern university setting were studied. The contribution of suicide attempts to referral rates was assessed.


METHODS
The study was done by analysis of hospital admission and psychiatric consultation data.


RESULTS
Psychiatric consultations were done in 844 (2%) of 41,681 admissions. Among patients without suicide attempts, those between ages 30 and 59, whites, and internal medicine admissions had higher referral rates. Age, race, and admitting service were independently associated with psychiatric referral rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings support previous research showing that psychiatric referral depends on a variety of factors that may be patient-related, disease-related, and/or physician-related. Physicians' motivations to refer or not, organizational barriers or facilitators, disease-related, and/or patient-related factors (eg, age and race) need to be assessed further as determinants for requesting psychiatric consultation.
Dhossche
Dirk M
DM
Department of Psychiatry, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, USA.
Lorant
Zsolt
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000407:Alabama; D003710:Demography; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*