Preferred Provider Organizations and Mental Health Point-of-Service Networks

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible associations between different sociodemographic, clinical, and healthcare factors and the number of unmet needs among people being treated for schizophrenia. METHODS: The sample was made up of 141 subjects who were being treated at eight mental health service networks throughout Chile. Unmet need was assessed with the Camberwell Assessment of Need, which was specifically created for people with severe mental disorders. A multiple linear regression analysis was also applied. RESULTS: It was found a direct association with clinical variables: score in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, global functioning at diagnosis, and change in global functioning at diagnosis from diagnosis to interview. However, sociodemographic (ethnicity, education level, and number of people who live with subject) and other clinical variables (age at diagnosis, and annual rate of relapse) were indirectly associated with unmet needs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results can be applied in order to coordinate and improve the effectiveness of mental health services in Chile.

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Residential facilities and day centres in mental health. Is there any difference?

Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale ◽

10.1017/s1121189x00002694 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 57-64

Author(s):

Barbara D'Avanzo ◽

Eugenia Aliprandini ◽

Massimiliano Beghi ◽

Cesare Maria Cornaggia ◽

Arcadio Erlicher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Residential Treatment ◽

Residential Facilities ◽

Service Networks ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Daily Life Activities ◽

Dc Program ◽

Rehabilitation Facilities ◽

The Mean ◽

Clinically Significant

SummaryAims– We wanted to investigate to what extent and in what characteristics the patients cared in the psychiatric residential facilities (RF) were similar to those in the day-centres (DC), and whether 6-month improvements in the two settings were comparable.Methods– We described 141 patients admitted to the RF and 180 in DC of three mental health service networks in Milan and near Milan. They were evaluated again after six months.Results– In both groups, we identified subgroups of more intensive treatment: 45% of those in residential treatment were in high intensity rehabilitation facilities, and those who followed a residential program of >12 hours/week were 53%. The mean duration of treatment in the residential treatment was 40 months (SD 55.7) and in DC 49.6 months (49.3). The two groups differed in the overall scores of the HoNOS, but differences emerged in the subscales relative to daily life activities and living conditions. Among those in RF, about half had a house, versus 99% among those in DC. After six months, clinically significant modifications were small in both groups.Conclusions– Residential patients had more needs than DC patients. It is possible that some of the residential patients might be treated with intensive DC program, but the absence of a home for the majority of residential facilities patients makes this unlikely.Declaration of Interest: None.

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