Effects of intensive home treatment: a quasi experimental study
N. Mulder, R. Winter, R. van AsperenIntroduction
Although Intensive Home Treatment (IHT) is intended to prevent hospital admissions, little is known about its effects in a specific population of patients who are already in outpatient treatment (Flexible Assertive Community Treatment; FACT) before the were referred to IHT.
Objectives
To study the effects of psychiatric crisis-care using IHT versus psychiatric crisis-care in Flexible Assertive Treatment (FACT) Teams.
Methods
We used a quasi experimental design to study the effects after 6 months on admissions and Length of Hospital Stay (LOS) of crisis-care in IHT versus FACT. Patients in a crisis situation, who were treated in FACT, were either admitted to IHT or stayed in FACT, based on the treatment availability in IHT.
Results
463 patients in a psychiatric crisis situation were referred to IHT, and 59 patients in a psychiatric crisis situation could not be referred to IHT. After 6-month follow-up 27.2% vs. 33.9% patients were voluntary admitted (a difference of 6,7%; 95% CI: -6.6% to 20.0%), 7.1% vs. 8,5% patients were involuntary admitted (a difference of 1.4%; CI: -6.4% - 9.2), and the median LOS (days) was 31.0 vs. 61.5 in patients who were initially referred to IHT versus those who remained in FACT and could not be referred to IHT.
Conclusions
IHT may thus reduce involuntary admissions as well as hospital-bed days for patients in a psychiatric crisis situation, and referred by outpatient mental health services. The effect on voluntary admissions did not reach statistical significance.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared