Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T06:31:35.418Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Controlled Trial of Home-Based Acute Psychiatric Services

I: Clinical and Social Outcome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Tom Burns*
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, London
Alan Beadsmoore
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, London
Ashok V. Bhat
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, London
Andrew Oliver
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, London
Carola Mathers
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, London
*
Department of Mental Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London SW17 ORE

Abstract

While research has shown community-based psychiatric care to be as good as, or better than, hospital-based care, generalisation to clinical practice has been difficult. This prospective, randomised controlled study examined a community-based approach feasible within NHS conditions. Ninety-four patients were randomly allocated to experimental and 78 to control treatments and followed for one year. The groups were well matched apart from an excess of psychotic control patients. No differences in clinical or social functioning outcome were found. Both groups improved substantially on clinical measures in the first six weeks, with some slow consolidation thereafter. There were three suicides in the control group and one in the experimental group. Access to care was better in the experimental group (93% attended assessment) than in the control group (75% attended assessment).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.