Evaluation of the Efficacy of Involuntary Outpatient Treatment in Reducing the Use of Mental Health Services in Hospital | Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental (English Edition)

Article information

Abstract

Objective

To determine whether psychiatric patients in involuntary outpatient treatment (IOT) show reduced use of mental health services in hospital compared with a control group not subject to a court order.

Method

We compared a group of patients in IOT (n=38) with a control group (n=38), selected from involuntarily hospitalised patients during the same period. Patients in the control group had similar socio-demographic, clinical and psychiatric characteristics to the group with IOT. We analysed the number of emergencies, inpatient admissions and length of hospital stay during a follow-up period of six months after the beginning of the court order in the IOT group or after hospital discharge in the control group.

Results

No significant differences were found between the IOT and the control group in hospital use (number of emergencies, inpatient admissions and mean length of hospital stay).

Keywords:

Involuntary outpatient treatment

Efficacy

Resumen

Objetivo

Valorar si los pacientes psiquiátricos con tratamiento ambulatorio involuntario (TAI) reducen el uso de los servicios de salud mental en comparación con un grupo de control no sometido a esta medida judicial.

Método

Se comparó al grupo de pacientes con TAI (n=38) con un grupo de control (n=38) seleccionado del grupo de pacientes que fueron hospitalizados con carácter involuntario durante el mismo periodo. En el grupo control se ha incluido a pacientes con variables sociodemográficas, características clínicas e historia psiquiátrica similares a las del grupo con TAI. Se comparó el número de urgencias e ingresos y las estancias medias en el hospital durante un seguimiento de 6 meses tras el inicio de la medida judicial o el alta hospitalaria de los casos de control.

Resultados

No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la utilización de los servicios de salud mental (número de urgencias e ingresos y estancias medias) entre el grupo con TAI y el grupo de control.

Palabras clave:

Tratamiento ambulatorio involuntario

Eficacia

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