Assessment of inpatient treatment of persons with schizophrenia: Implications for practice

This descriptive: study examined a stratified random sample by month of 457 persons with schizophrenia hospitalized on an inpatient unit at a nonprofi t hospital located in Honolulu, HI in 1997, White patients were overreprese nted in the sample when compared to the number in the general population. P art-Hawaiian patients had longer lengths of stay. Women were more likely to be admitted involuntarily than men. The majority of the patients were pres cribed atypical antipsychotic medications. Only 8.8% of the patients were i n restraints during their hospitalization, Problematic areas were patient t eaching, monitoring of medication side effects, treatment planning, and dis charge planning, The study site is fully accredited, attending physicians w ere all psychiatrists, and the majority of the nurses were certified. Mow p ervasive there deficiencies are in other settings is not known. The finding s of the study were used to revise a schizophrenic care path used on the in patient unit. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.