Photo Credit: Elena Kalinicheva
The following is a summary of “Long-term efficacy of a continuity-of-care treatment model for patients with severe mental illness who transition from in-patient to out-patient services,” published in the February 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Maoz et al.
Continuity of care, crucial for improved patient outcomes, faces resource constraints and uncertain implementation in many public healthcare systems.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of a continuity-of-care model for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), ensuring uninterrupted treatment across transitions from discharge from a closed ward to subsequent psychiatric, psychological, and rehabilitation services.
They examined data from patients discharged in two conditions i.e. before (1 January-31 December 2018) and post (1 June 2021-31 May 2022) the complete implementation of the model. The analysis included comparing the average duration of hospitalization, ED visits within 90 days post-discharge, readmission rates within a year after discharge, and the onset of the rehabilitation procedure.
The result revealed that during the post-implementation period (n = 482), the average length of hospital admission notably decreased from 30.51 ± 29.72 to 26.77 ± 27.89 days in comparison to the pre-implementation phase (n = 403) (P=0.029). Within 90 days after discharge, visits to the emergency department decreased from 38.70% to 26.35% of discharged patients (P<0.001). The readmission rate dropped from 50.9% to 44.0% (P=0.041) for single readmissions and from 28.3% to 22.0% (P=0.032) for double readmissions within the year following discharge. The percentage of patients commencing formal rehabilitation increased from 7.94% to 12.03% (P=0.044).
Investigators concluded that a senior psychiatrist-led continuity-of-care model with paramedical support could significantly improve mental health services, highlighting its value for patients, clinicians, and policymakers.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38311574/
