A comparison of gerontopsychiatric inpatients of a University Psychiatric Hospital (integrated care) and a Psychiatric State Hospital (separated care) in Germany. Part 1: Type of patients

Objective: We wanted to study differences between geriatric psychiatric pat ients and their management in an integrated (with other adult age groups) c are in the University Psychiatric Hospital (PUK) compared to those in a sep arated (only according to age) care in the Psychiatric State Hospital (LKH) , which together treat all psychiatric inpatients in Goettingen, Germany. M ethod: We performed standardized chart reviews of randomly selected groups of patients, who had been treated in the PUK (n = 151) and the LKH (n = 145 ) in the years 1991 and 1992. Results: The LKH patients were significantly older (74.8 +/- 8.7 y versus 70.3 +/- 8.3 y), more often living alone and/o r without children. 31.9% of them were living in a nursing home compared to 6.5% of the PUK patients. Psychic disorders had not shown up before old ag e in 55.7% of all cases. 50.4% of the patients were in a psychiatric hospit al for the first time. The majority of the patients (65.6%) had not been in vestigated by a psychiatrist before admission. Conclusions: More socially h andicapped patients were treated in the LKH. For most cases, the hospital t reatment had been the first psychiatric treatment at all.