Hospital Length Of Stay And Readmission For Individuals Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: Are They Related? Canada

Main Category: Schizophrenia
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 18 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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According to a new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 38% of patients discharged with a diagnosis of schizophrenia from a general hospital in Canada had unplanned readmissions (through emergency departments) for a mental illness within one year of their discharge. The analysis also found that 12% of schizophrenia patients (or one in eight patients) were readmitted to hospital within 30 days of their initial discharge, in the years 2003 to 2005.

The study, Hospital Length of Stay and Readmission for Individuals Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: Are They Related?, is CIHI's first to examine the relationship between initial length of stay and readmission for patients hospitalized for schizophrenia. It reveals that the longer a schizophrenia patient stayed in hospital initially, the less likely he or she was to be subsequently readmitted for any mental illness in the 12 months following discharge.

"Because of the chronic and debilitating nature of schizophrenia, patients may require longer periods of stabilization than other mental health patients," says Nawaf Madi, CIHI's Program Lead for Mental Health and Addictions. "Our analysis shows that although hospitalizations for schizophrenia are not always preventable, longer initial hospital stays for these patients are related to lower rates of subsequent readmissions to the hospital. These unplanned readmissions can be very disruptive for patients and their families, with potential cost implications for the health system."

Relationship between length of stay and readmission strongest in first month following discharge

The influence of length of stay on readmissions was most evident during the first 30 days following discharge. Compared to those whose initial hospital stays were one week or less, patients with initial hospital stays between one and two weeks long were 21% less likely to be readmitted within 30 days. Patients with the longest initial hospital stays (seven weeks or longer) were less than half (49%) as likely to be readmitted within 30 days compared to those with hospital stays of one week or less.

CIHI's analysis also found that initial length of stay had a stronger influence on readmission than gender, age, province of residence or the presence or absence of a co-existing substance disorder.

Rates of readmission for schizophrenia stand out from other mental illnesses

Mental health patients have higher readmission rates than the general patient population, and patients with schizophrenia have a higher rate of readmission than those diagnosed with other mental disorders. For example, 27% of patients admitted to a general hospital for depression were readmitted within a year, compared to 38% of schizophrenia patients.

When: April 17, 2008

Where: http://www.cihi.ca

About CIHI

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI's goal: to provide timely, accurate and comparable information. CIHI's data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health.

Canadian Institute for Health Information