TEACHING PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS TO REENTER THE COMMUNITY - A BRIEF METHOD OF IMPROVING THE CONTINUITY OF CARE

Objective: The study evaluated the effects of a brief manualized treat ment program that taught patients skills to re-enter the community and actively follow through with their own care. Methods: A total of 59 r ecently admitted inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective diso rder were randomly assigned to either the community re-entry program b r an equally intensive regimen of occupational therapy. The community re-entry program consisted of eight 45-minute sessions conducted with groups of six to eight patients on a continuous, twice-a-day, four-day -a-week schedule. The effects were measured by a review of the records of aftercare services that patients I received in the month after dis charge from the inpatient facility. Patients' knowledge and performanc e of the specific material taught in the community reentry program was ascertained through assessments conducted before and after training. Results: Results indicated that patients in the community re-entry pro gram significantly improved their knowledge and performance of the ski lls taught in the sessions, compared with patients in the occupational therapy group. Community re-entry participants were also significantl y more likely to attend their first aftercare appointment than were oc cupational therapy participants (85 percent versus 37 percent). Conclu sions: Not only can patients learn relatively complex material during a brief typical inpatient stay despite the acuteness of their illnesse s, but they can also meaningfully improve the continuity of their own care by participating in a brief and highly structured training progra m. The program fits well within the time and staffing constraints of t ypical inpatient facilities.