title: An observational study in psychiatric acute patients admitted to General Hospital Psychiatric Wards in Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  this Italian observational study was aimed at collecting data of psychiatric patients with acute episodes entering General Hospital Psychiatric Wards (GHPWs). Information was focused on diagnosis (DSM-IV), reasons of hospitalisation, prescribed treatment, outcome of aggressive episodes, evolution of the acute episode.
  
  
  METHODS
  assessments were performed at admission and discharge. Used psychometric scales were the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and the Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE-30).
  
  
  RESULTS
  864 adult patients were enrolled in 15 GHPWs: 728 (320 M; mean age 43.6 yrs) completed both admission and discharge visits. A severe psychotic episode with (19.1%) or without (47.7%) aggressive behaviour was the main reason of admission. Schizophrenia (42.8% at admission and 40.1% at discharge) and depression (12.9% at admission and 14.7% at discharge) were the predominant diagnoses. The mean hospital stay was 12 days. The mean (+/- SD) total score of MOAS at admission, day 7 and discharge was, respectively, 2.53 +/- 5.1, 0.38 +/- 2.2, and 0.21 +/- 1.5. Forty-four (6.0%) patients had episodes of aggressiveness at admission and 8 (1.7%) at day 7. A progressive improvement in each domain/item vs. admission was observed for MOAS and BPRS, while NOSIE-30 did not change from day 4 onwards. The number of patients with al least one psychotic drug taken at admission, in the first 7 days of hospitalisation, and prescribed at discharge, was, respectively: 472 (64.8%), 686 (94.2%) and 676 (92.9%). The respective most frequently psychotic drugs were: BDZs (60.6%, 85.7%, 69.5%), typical anti-psychotics (48.3%, 57.0%, 49.6%), atypical anti-psychotics (35.6%, 41.8%, 39.8%) and antidepressants (40.9%, 48.8%, 43.2%). Rates of patients with one, two or > 2 psychotic drugs taken at admission and day 7, and prescribed at discharge, were, respectively: 24.8%, 8.2% and 13.5% in mono-therapy; 22.0%, 20.6% and 26.6% with two drugs, and 53.2%, 57.8% and 59.0% with > two drugs. Benzodiazepines were the most common drugs both at admission (60.0%) and during hospitalisation (85.7%), and 69.5% were prescribed at discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  patients with psychiatric diseases in acute phase experienced a satisfactory outcome following intensified therapeutic interventions during hospitalisation.
authors.affiliation: S. Maria Nuova Hospital, Florence, Italy. ballerini.ciardi@libero.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ballerini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boccalon
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boncompagni
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casacchia
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Margari
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minervini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Righi
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salteri