Factors associated with hospital admission and evaluation of a case management program for severe mental disorder by a historical cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: People with severe mental disorder (SMD) have serious difficulties in developing a normal life, so community care programs to improve their living conditions and social integration are necessary. This work evaluates the performance of a case management program (CMP) in Segovia (Spain).

Methodology: We conduct a first descriptive phase evaluating the performance of the CMP in 2011 by sociodemographic, health services and clinical variables. We study the factors associated with the occurrence of hospital admission. Finally, using a historical cohort design, we assess the risk of hospital admission of CMP compared to unexposed cohort. Bi and multivariate statistical techniques are employed to perform the analysis with the calculation of relative risks and confidence intervals.

Results: In 2011, 82 patients are cared for in the CMP, mainly middle-aged men. The average clinical course is 19 years and the average stay in the CMP over 6 years. 78% belong to the diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum. Income affects 27% of patients. Women, mental health teams I-II, increased home visits and abandonment of monitoring are predictors of income, while the highest level of clinical course is protective. No protective effect of income is detected for the CMP in the different analyzes of the historical cohort study.

Conclusions: It is necessary to systematically assess community care programs directed at SMD to make adjustments and modifications aiming at improving their clinical effectiveness.