Judgement of Continuing Hospitalization in the Treatment of Chronic Mentally-Ill Patients.
- Author:
In Won CHUNG
1
;
Hwan Kyu PARK
;
Yeon Bok JUNG
;
Soo Il KIM
;
Goo Yun WON
;
Gyo Hyung KIM
;
Chul Jin SHIN
Author Information
1. Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Mental health judgement board;
Mentally-ill patients;
Continuing hospitalization
- MeSH:
Alcoholics;
Caregivers;
Dementia;
Diagnosis;
Hospitalization*;
Human Rights;
Humans;
Medicaid;
Mental Health;
Parents;
Rehabilitation;
Siblings;
Spouses
- From:Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association
1999;38(6):1282-1292
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: This study was to develop effective managements and to avoid the abuse of human rights in mentally-ill patients. The Mental Health Judgement Board of Chungchongbuk-do province has been held monthly since August, 1997 according to the Mental Health Act. In this study, the procedures and the problems of judging continuing hospitaliztion of chronic mentally-ill patients were reviewed. METHODS: The mentally-ill patients who submitted the request for continuing hospitalization with the certificate of charged doctor and the agreement of caregiver were reviewed by the Mental Health Judgement Board of Chungchongbuk-do province. The analysis of the diagnoses, caregivers, medical care systems, and rejection rate for the patients were done. RESULTS: Total mumber of mentally-ill patients who requested for continuing hospitalization were 7,981 from twenty-one monthly meetings. The diagnostic distributions were 80.9% for schizophrenic patients, 8.1% for alcoholics and 11.0% for others including dementia. As for the caretakers, the rate of majors was 29.8%, parents 26.9%, sibling 26.1%, spouse 6.3%, offspring 5.9%, and others 5.0%. And 73.0% of the patients were on Medicaid and 27.0% were insured. The patients who got the rejection for continuing hospitalization were 196 at the rate of 2.46%. And the rejection rates of schizophrenic and alcoholic patients were 0.73% and 17.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: New policies for decreasing longterm hospitalization of chronic mentally-ill patients are required. And the social support systems for psychiatric rehabilitation and readjustment are presently insufficient for the already discharged mentally-ill. Moreover, the practical guidelines for human rights of patients remains to be suggested.
