The environment and staff of residential facilities: findings from the Italian 'progres' national survey.
We administered structured interviews to managers and staff of a random sample of 265 Italian psychiatric Residential Facilities (RFs). Most are independent buildings, located in urban and suburban areas. The median number of residents is 10. The few RFs (5.7%) with more than 20 beds have a higher rate of drop-outs and escapes. The average indoor space per resident is 36 square meters, there is often a garden, and residents generally live in two-bed rooms. Most facilities are located within walking distance of shopping centers or recreational facilities. Three-quarters have 24-hour staff coverage. On average, each facility has about 10 full-time equivalent workers, with a staff:resident ratio of 0.92. Most of the professional input is provided by nurses and auxiliary staff. Critical issues to be considered in planning facilities include the physical environment, the size, and the staffing patterns.
Picardi
Angelo
A
Center of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance & Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy. picardi@iss.it
Girolamo
Giovanni de
Gd
Santone
Giovanni
G
Falloon
Ian
I
Fioritti
Angelo
A
Micciolo
Rocco
R
Morosini
Pierluigi
P
Zanalda
Enrico
E
D003625:Data Collection; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D012931:Social Environment; D000078329:Workforce