Precipitating factors of readmission of psychiatric patients

Abstract

Rehospitalization rates of psychiatric patients are high. Fason, Melton, Johnson, and Mahrer (1966) found in their study of psychiatric wards of hospitals that over 50% of the beds were occupied by readmissions. Friedman, Von Meting, and Hinko (1966) noted that the pattern of patient movement in mental hospitals seemed to be along lines of recurring illness. Once patients left the institutions, there was a high probability of return. Levenstein, Klein, and Pollack (1965) found that there were differences in rehospitalization rates of mental patients based on various factors of hospital milieu. The kinds of wards in which the people were initially housed, the social relationships in the institution, and so on, were all found to be associated with probability of patient return. The length of stay in the hospital during the first admission was found to be particularly significant; the shorter the original stay, the more likely the person would return for readmission. Harrington and Wilkins (1966) found that work, in particular, was a factor in rehospitalization of the mentally ill. Higher rates of readmissions were found for those individuals not having found employment after their initial release. The investigators stressed the need for coordination between social and vocational programs for those working with the mentally ill, as well as the need for continued contact with the people to find out those factors in the society that could lead to recidivistic behavior.The purpose of the present study was to examine the assumed precipitating factors of rehospitalization for hospitalized mentally ill patients formerly rehabilitated in a halfway house. The study asked the question, "What might the halfway house have done to prevent this readmission?" * Mr. Peretti is connected with the

Workplace responsiveness: Key employer characteristics in support of job maintenance for people with mental illness.

“…Russert and Frey (1991) describe work as a “competing process to symptoms.” An exploratory study of 40 randomly selected patients at a mental health center found a “positive effect on satisfaction with community life” resulted from employment (Lee, 1981). Peretti (1974), studying 100 psychiatric patients readmitted to the hospital, identified that they were likely to be jobless. Isaksson (1990) examined the relationship between employment status and “psychological well-being,” and found a positive correlation between reemployment and fewer symptoms of distress and better psychological well-being.…”

Locational Factors in the Demand for Mental Health Care

“…For example, Harakal and Furey [16] discuss the problem of treating the client with multiple problems or presenting symptoms, while Craig and Huffine [5] note the effect of diagnosis on length of treatment. Quite a different set of issues are raised by the problems of dealing with special client groups, such as veterans [25] or readmissions [30].…”