Objective: This paper describes the administrative process by which th
e Ottawa General Hospital (OGH) closed 6 beds and used the staff and s
pace resources thus released to set up an acute day hospital (ADH) for
the treatment of 8 acutely ill psychiatric patients. Outcome data are
presented on the first 160 patients admitted to the ADH. Methods: Dem
ographic and clinical information including diagnostic (DSM-III-R; Glo
bal Assessment of Functioning [GAF]) and questionnaire data (Symptom C
hecklist-90 Revised [SCL-90R], Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]; State-
Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]; patient satisfaction) were obtained fr
om 160 ADH patients at admission and discharge. Forty-two of these pa
tients provided follow-up data 3 to 6 months postdischarge. The outcom
e of ADH patients was compared with that of a retrospectively obtained
random sample (n = 100) of inpatients on selected diagnostic and demo
graphic variables. Results: On clinician-rated and self-report clinica
l scales, ADH patients showed significant clinical improvement reflect
ed in higher GAF scores and less psychological distress, depression, a
nd anxiety at discharge relative to admission. There were no significa
nt group differences in outcome indices except for shorter length of s
tay in the ADH group compared with inpatients. The ADH group rated the
program highly in help received and quality of service. Short-term fo
llow-up showed that gains made during treatment were maintained 3 to 6
months later. Conclusions: These results show that a time-limited day
hospital program is clinically effective for acutely ill psychiatric
patients and leads to a more efficient use of inpatient resources. We
believe that partial hospitalization for the treatment of acute psychi
atric disorders may have wide application in psychiatric hospital prac
tice.