T. Mattioni et al., Determinants of psychiatric inpatient admission to general hospital psychiatric wards: an epidemiological study in a region of central Italy, SOC PSY PSY, 34(8), 1999, pp. 425-431
Objective: To determine which factors contribute to the decision to admit i
ndividuals to psychiatric wards in general hospitals. Method: Data on 1,379
individuals undergoing psychiatric evaluation in eight emergency rooms in
a region of central Italy were collected. A logistic regression analysis wa
s used to evaluate the likelihood of psychiatric admission considering the
independent effects of demographic, social, and clinical factors and of the
history of psychiatric treatment. Results: The adjusted odds ratio for psy
chiatric admission significantly increased with the following variables: se
verity of symptoms; presence of paranoid states and schizophrenic psychoses
, affective psychoses and acute psychotic conditions (with neurotic disorde
rs used as reference), a history of outpatient treatment; the presence of a
staff member of a community mental health facility upon presentation at th
e emergency room; and the availability of beds in the psychiatric ward. Con
clusion: The independent effect played by the presence of a staff member of
a community mental health facility is of particular interest, suggesting t
he existence of a collaborative relationship between inpatient and outpatie
nt services.