Preventing Rehospitalization in Schizophrenia

Interventions addressing symptom education, service continuity, and daily structure are the most effective in avoiding inpatient stays in patients with schizophrenia who have had multiple hospitalizations, a study in the June issue of The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease reported. Dr Jonathan Prince assessed 315 patients with schizophrenia at 72 hours and again 3 months after being discharged from the hospital. During the assessment, patients were asked whether they had received any intervention pertaining to medication or symptom education, care continuity, social relations, daily structure and living, and kin involvement.

Prince found that any intervention decreased the rehospitalization rate in the sample. However, readmission was 64% higher in patients who had not received interventions pertaining to symptom education, service continuity, and daily structure. Rehospitalization also differed when indi- viduals with fewer than 4 previous admissions were compared with those with 4 or more hospitalizations. None of the intervention services were significantly helpful in preventing readmission in the latter group.