Impact of the priority follow-up system on quality of life in Chinese schizophrenia patients.
OBJECTIVE
Priority follow up (PFU) is a particular aspect of mental health care in Hong Kong whereby psychiatric patients with a history of violence or suspected proclivity to violence are identified and their management is closely monitored. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of a PFU system on quality of life (QOL) in schizophrenia patients.


METHODS
Two hundred and sixty-seven clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia were randomly selected and interviewed in Hong Kong using standardized assessment instruments that covered their clinical condition and QOL.


RESULTS
Patients with PFU status constituted 8.2% of the sample. PFU patients were more likely to be men, have a history of violence, and were poorer in the physical, psychological, social and environmental QOL domains than their non-PFU counterparts even after controlling for the effects of potential confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
More effective measures should be taken to improve QOL in PFU schizophrenia patients who are prone to violent behavior.
Xiang
Yu-Tao
YT
Department of Psychiatry, Shatin Hospital, Shatin NT, Hong Kong. xyutly@cuhk.edu.hk
Leung
Chi-Ming
CM
Tang
Wai-Kwong
WK
Ungvari
Gabor Sandor
GS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents