A survey of new long-stay hospital patients in an Irish health board area

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the number and rate of accumulation of new long stay hospital patients in one of Ireland's eight health board areas, to describe their demographic and clinical features, and to assess their needs in relation to possible community placement. Methods: Demographic and clinical information was obtained on all patients over age 17 who had been continuously hospitalized in area hospitals for more than one year and less than six years on the census day of March 1, 1992. The Community Placement Questionnaire was used to rate the patients' social functioning, problem behavior, physical disability, social contact, and needs for accommodation and day care. Results: The survey identified 175 new long- stay patients, mainly middle aged to elderly. Schizophrenia was the most common psychiatric diagnosis. The bed occupancy rate for these patients was 14 per 100,000 population, and the annual accumulation rate was 2.3 per 100,000 population. Conclusions: New long-stay patients were chronically ill with significant psychiatric and social disabilities. Involuntary patients were overrepresented in the group. Two-thirds could be placed in the community if facilities were available and had sufficiently high staffing levels.