Deinstitutionalisation in the Netherlands

Long-term hospitalizations for schizophrenia in the Czech Republic 1998-2012

Deinstitutionalization has not been pursued in the post-communist Europe until recently. The population of psychiatric patients institutionalized in the regional mental hospitals is, however, largely understudied. The aim of this study is to assess discharges of long-term inpatients with schizophrenia from Czech psychiatric hospitals and to analyse re-hospitalizations within this group. The nationwide register of all-cause inpatient hospitalizations was merged with the nationwide register of all-cause deaths on an individual level basis. Descriptive statistics, survival analysis and logistic regression were performed. 3601 patients with schizophrenia previously hospitalized for more than a year were discharged from Czech mental hospitals between 1998 and 2012. This included 260 patients hospitalized for >20years. Nearly one fifth (n=707) of the long-term patients died during the hospitalization; and discharges of 19.36% (n=697) were only administrative in their nature. Out of 2197 truly discharged patients, 14.88% (n=327) were re-hospitalized within 2weeks after the discharge. The highest odds of rehospitalization were associated with being discharged against medical advice (OR 5.27, CI: 3.77-7.35, p<0.001). These data are important for the ongoing mental health care reforms in the Czech Republic and other countries in the Central and Eastern Europe.

Deinstitutionalised patients, homelessness and imprisonment: systematic review

BACKGROUND

Reports linking the deinstitutionalisation of psychiatric care with homelessness and imprisonment have been published widely.

AIMS

To identify cohort studies that followed up or traced back long-term psychiatric hospital residents who had been discharged as a consequence of deinstitutionalisation.

METHOD

A broad search strategy was used and 9435 titles and abstracts were screened, 416 full articles reviewed and 171 articles from cohort studies of deinstitutionalised patients were examined in detail.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies of unique populations assessed homelessness and imprisonment among patients discharged from long-term care. Homelessness and imprisonment occurred sporadically; in the majority of studies no single case of homelessness or imprisonment was reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results contradict the findings of ecological studies which indicated a strong correlation between the decreasing number of psychiatric beds and an increasing number of people with mental health problems who were homeless or in prison.

De-institutionalisation and trans-institutionalisation - changing trends of inpatient care in Norwegian mental health institutions 1950-2007

BACKGROUND

Over the last decades mental health services in most industrialised countries have been characterised by de-institutionalisation and different kinds of redistribution of patients. This article will examine the historical trends in Norway over the period 1950-2007, identify the patterns of change in service settings and discuss why the mental health services have been dramatically transformed in less than sixty years.

METHODS

The presentation of the trends in the Norwegian mental health services and the outline of the major changes in the patterns of inpatient care over the period 1950-2007 is founded on five indicators: The average inpatient population, the number of discharges during a year, the average length of stay, the number of beds or places, and the occupancy rate (average inpatient population/beds). Data are reported by institutional setting. Multiple sources of data are used. In some cases it has been necessary to interpolate data due to missing data.

RESULTS

New categories of institutions were established and closed during the 57 years period. De-hospitalisation started in Norway in the early 1970s, de-institutionalisation in general 15 years later. Six distinct periods are identified: The asylum period (-1955), institutionalisation and trans-institutionalisation (1955-65), stabilisation and onset of de-hospitalisation (1965-75), de-hospitalisation (1975-87), from nursing homes to community-based services (1988-98), and the national mental health program (1999-2007). There has been a significant reduction in the number of beds and in the average in-patient population. The average length of stay in institutions has been continuously reduced since 1955. The number of patients actually treated in psychiatric institutions has increased significantly. Accessibility, quality of care and treatment for most patients has improved during the period. The mental health system in Norway has recently been evaluated as better than the systems in USA, England and Canada.

CONCLUSIONS

De-institutionalisation means fewer beds but not fewer patients treated, neither in institutions in general nor in psychiatric hospitals. The periods represent different kinds of de-, trans-, and even re-institutionalisation. Expansion of the welfare state, increased professional focus on active treatment and increased focus on patients' preferences are the factors that best explain de-institutionalisation in Norway.

Quality of life for long-stay patients of psychiatric hospitals: a literature study

The aim of this literature review is to provide an answer to the following questions: (1) What is known about the quality of life and quality of care for long-stay psychiatric patients? (2) What does literature say about possible contributions that health-care professionals may make to the quality of life for this target group? We conducted an open literature search across national and international databases, and added relevant literature by using cross-references. The quality of life and quality of care for long-stay psychiatric patients has been the subject of research on a limited scale only. Publications in this field provide a picture of patients with wishes and requirements that are generally basic and modest in nature. They also show that patients greatly value good relations with their care providers. This literature review shows that little is known about the quality of life of long-stay psychiatric patients and this review also shows that the relational aspects of care provide an eminent opportunity for care providers to contribute to the quality of life of their patients. Long-stay patients need care providers who are capable of developing and maintaining a caring relationship of the highest quality that will endure for many years. In their daily work, nurses have good opportunities to develop and maintain meaningful and reciprocal relationships with severely ill people, but this is a task that makes great demands on nurses in terms of both knowledge and interhuman skills. These skills should be given special attention both in nurse education and by supervisors.

Financing and planning of public and private not-for-profit hospitals in the European Union

While much has been written about health care financing in Europe in recent years, discussion has almost entirely focused on revenue. In contrast, there has been remarkably little written on financing of capital investment in European health care systems. Yet major changes are underway in several countries, in particular involving new forms of public-private partnerships (PPP). At the same time, there is growing recognition of the way in which the inherited structure of the health care delivery system constrains the system's ability to adapt to changing circumstances. This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken among key informants in the member states of the European Union to begin to ascertain existing practices and future plans in relation to hospital planning and financing amongst public and private not-for-profit hospitals. The locus of hospital planning decisions reflect the constitutional framework of the country involved, and thus the emphasis on national or local plans. There has been an expansion of private sector involvement, with four basic models identified: private loans direct to the hospital; private loans to a regional health body; a PPP where the private sector's role is to build, design and operate the non-clinical functions of the hospital; and, finally, a PPP, where the private sector's involvement also includes management of the clinical functions of the hospital. It is too early to say whether these approaches will be more successful than the models they are replacing.

The identification of trends in the utilisation of mental health services by elderly: a Dutch case register study

OBJECTIVE

In view of the rapid ageing of the population any changes in the use of mental health services by the elderly became increasingly important for policy development. This study aimed at the supply of information about trends in the numbers of elderly clients, the services they used and the volume and pattern of service utilisation.

METHODS

Details of elderly users and their use of community- and hospital-based services between 1990 and 1999 were retrieved from the Groningen case register. Developments in population size and age distribution in the register area were taken into account, as were the unit costs of mental health services.

RESULTS

Large age specific changes were found that caused only the expenditures on the oldest elderly to increase due to a shift from outpatient clinics to prolonged psychogeriatric day treatment and inpatient care. Comparatively young elderly used fewer inpatient services and more community care. The number of new elderly clients declined progressively. In some age groups treated prevalence also decreased, but to a lesser extent, because of a prolonged use of mental health services.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results seemed well in accordance with mental health policy as to deinstitutionalization and active ageing. Research on the effect of mental health care on life expectancy and the time lag between the intake of mental health providers and treated prevalence was proposed in order to improve the prediction of future service use by elderly.

Schizophrenic patients in different treatment settings during the era of deinstitutionalization: three-year follow-up of three discharge cohorts in Finland

OBJECTIVE

We investigated differences in psychosocial and clinical characteristics, as well as the use of services, of schizophrenic patients in different treatment settings three years after their discharge from a psychiatric hospital. Furthermore, we examined secular changes in these phenomena during the era of rapid deinstitutionalization in Finland.

METHOD

Three nationally representative samples comprised 3257 schizophrenic patients who had been discharged in 1986, 1990 and 1994. The patients were interviewed three years after discharge by each district's psychiatric professionals using a structured interview schedule specifically designed for the purposes of the present study. Psychosocial functioning was assessed on the Global Assessment Scale and on a modified version of the Medical Research Council Practices Profile.

RESULTS

In the 1990s, more patients with a poor clinical and psychosocial state were transferred from hospital to alternative outpatient facilities, such as sheltered workshops or supported residences. In successive cohorts, the proportion of patients who had dropped out of treatment decreased and the psychiatric and somatic state of the drop-outs improved.

CONCLUSION

In general, the psychiatric treatment system has worked well for most deinstitutionalized patients. In the future, however, it is important that the quality of care and adequate resources in the alternative outpatient facilities are ensured.