[Use of Datasus to evaluate psychiatric inpatient care patterns in Southern Brazil].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the construction and testing of a routine to assess psychiatric hospitalizations in the Brazilian Health System based on its database (DATASUS), and to assess characteristics and trends of these hospitalizations.


METHODS
Data were extracted from hospital admission authorizations in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, from 2000 to 2004. Data from 91,233 admissions were processed through a routine (syntaxes) using SPSS program and their reliability was tested. Hospitalization rates in general and psychiatric hospitals and main diagnoses were described, and trends were analyzed using polynomial regression models.


RESULTS
Intra and inter-rater reliabilities were 100%. There was seen a trend of increasing hospitalization rates due to mood disorders and decreasing rates due to schizophrenia and organic disorders. Hospitalization rates due to substance use disorders remained stable. There was an increasing trend in the number of psychiatric hospitalizations in general hospitals with a 97.7% growth in the period studied.


CONCLUSIONS
Routines proved to be reliable and feasible, suggesting the use of data from Hospital Information System database as a source of information for continuous evaluation of psychiatric hospitalizations in Brazilian Health System. Psychiatric hospitalization rates may have changed due to changes in the type of patients; diagnostic patterns, known as treatment-oriented diagnostic bias; and legislation.
Candiago
Rafael Henriques
RH
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. rcandiago@gmail.com
Belmonte de Abreu
Paulo
P
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015233:Models, Statistical; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D009313:National Health Programs; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data