Admissions to a day hospital and to a general hospital psychiatric unit in a new community psychiatric service

Objective: To conduct an audit of the patients treated at a day hospital or in an inpatient unit of a district general hospital from the South Kildare sector of the Kildare Mental Health Service, a new community based psychiatric service. Method: Retrospective case note review of all admissions over a six month period. ICD-9 diagnosis used, Results: There were 39 and 29 admissions to the inpatient unit and day hospital respectively, The average duration of stay in the inpatient unit was 14 days, 66% were discharged home and 33% discharged to the day hospital. The avenge duration of stay was 30 days in the day hospital, 62% were discharged home and 17% discharged to the inpatient unit. Conclusions: The trend was to treat mon neurotic patients in the day hospital; psychotic patients were treated in both settings; the proportion of patients discharged home was similar, The duration of stay was longer in the day hospital.