title: Quality of life in hospitalized seniors with psychiatric disorders (a cross-sectional study from the Kromeriz District, Czech Republic).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The quality of life is one of tools used for a comprehensive evaluation of provided health care services. Unlike medical specialties such as oncology or transplantation medicine where maintaining or improving the quality of life has been a traditional challenge, these issues are relatively new to gerontopsychiatric practice. The article is a contribution to research into the quality of life in hospitalized seniors with psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We designed a cross-sectional study involving 297 patients in two study groups from two main health care institutions in the Kromeriz District, the Psychiatric Hospital Kromeriz and St. Vincent de Paul Hospital. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, MMSE, GDS, patient medical records, interviews and psychiatric assessment were used in the study. Generally, low ability to complete the questionnaires was observed in both studied groups and a low quality of life in hospitalized seniors was revealed, together with a high prevalence of underdiagnosed depression and dementia. Poor social contacts are also common in hospitalized seniors with psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuous evaluation of the quality of life in hospitalized seniors with psychiatric disorders and attempts at its improvement should become an integral part of health care provided to older people suffering from any psychiatric condition.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Hospital Kromeriz, Czech Republic. luznyj@plkm.cz
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luzny
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ivanova
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires