Housing Orientations and Needs of Above-Average Length of Stay Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

A small number of severely and persistently mentally ill in-patients awaiting residential or long-stay facilities represent an obstacle to the efficient utilization of acute care beds. These facilities are costly and currently reputed to be contrary to recovery principles. In 2013, all acute psychiatric care wards in Montreal identified 194 in-patients who could be discharged to residential or long-term nursing care facilities. Program clinical professionals of regional residential facilities sent adapted standardized questionnaires to ward staff. Evaluators also collected the residential preferences of both staff and patients, and then made their own assessments. The 194 in-patients were mostly middle-aged single men. Over 80% had a psychosis diagnosis and half had judicial constraints. The staff evaluated that 71.1% could be discharged from hospital within 24 h. Of these, 55% could be referred to group resources with continuous 24 h, 7 days a week staff presence, 32% could be transferred to apartments with 7-day continuous or non-continuous staff presence, 12% could be transferred to institutional care and only 2% could be moved to an apartment of their own. Evaluator and ward staff residential preferences were highly similar, but differed with patient preferences, half of whom prefer their own apartment. Discrepancy between staff evaluations and patient preferences were higher for longer stay patients with more severe symptoms and comorbidity of personality disorders.