Long-stay patients in a psychiatric hospital in Southern Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the demographic profile, social functioning, and quality of life of a population of long-stay care patients in a psychiatric hospital.


METHODS
A study was carried out in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, in 2002. A total of 584 (96%) long-stay patients were assessed by means of the following instruments: the World Health Organization Quality of Life, the Social Behavior Schedule, the Independent Living Skills Survey, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and another instrument for assessing disability (Questionnaire for Assessing Physical Disability).


RESULTS
The average hospital stay was 26 years (SD: 15.8) and 46.6% of inpatients had no physical disability. Patients had their social functioning skills and autonomy largely impaired. Few of them (27.7%) answered the instrument for assessing quality of life, and showed significant impairments in all domains. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale evidenced a low prevalence of positive symptoms in this population.


CONCLUSIONS
The institutionalized population studied presented significantly impaired social functioning, autonomy, and quality of life. These aspects need to be taken into consideration while planning for their deinstitutionalization.
Fleck
Marcelo Pio de Almeida
MP
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. mfleck.voy@terra.com.br
Wagner
Luciane
L
Wagner
Mário
M
Dias
Miriam
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires