Objective: To examine hospital outcome measures for individuals with chroni
c and severe mental illnesses before and after their registration in an ass
ertive community treatment (ACT) program in Edmonton, Alberta.
Methods: Data were collected from Alberta Health on individuals who were re
gistered in ACT from April 1993 to April 1995. For each individual, hospita
l outcome measures were calculated for the 365 days prior to and 365 days a
fter registration for ACT (thus covering April 1, 1992-March 31,1996).
Results: Data were collected from 295 individuals. Compared with I year pri
or to beginning ACT, there was a 34% reduction in hospital separations for
patients with psychiatric diagnoses. The average length of stay (LOS)for ea
ch separated patient decreased by 56%, and the hospitalization days for eac
h patient separated also decreased by 39%. The number of emergency visits f
or psychiatric reasons was reduced by 32%, and the number of clients visiti
ng emergency departments for psychiatric reasons declined by 30%.
Conclusions: In the I-year period after registration in an ACT program, hos
pital outcome measures were improved in this cohort of 295 individuals with
severe and chronic mental illnesses.