Showing papers by "Benedetto Saraceno published in 1999"

The Qualyop Project 1 : Monitoring the dismantlement of Italian Public Psychiatric Hospitals characteristics of patients scheduled for discharge

Abstract: Objectives Monitoring and evaluating the Italian psychiatric hospitals closure process, stated by the law to be concluded by 31 December 1996, and then postponed to 31 March 1998, identifying characteristics related to the possibility of discharge in 4493 patients living in twentytwo public psychiatric hospitals.Method Sociodemographic and clinical data, information on impairment and functioning and plans for discharge in the subsequent twelve months of all patients were collected at baseline using a standard questionnaire.Results Discharge was planned within twelve months for 11 % of the patients: 4% to other psychiatric or non-psychiatric institutions and 7% to community settings. Severely disabled patients and patients with some behavioural problems were more frequently scheduled to go to institutional settings. For both types of discharge, an adequate network of social relationships was an important determinant. Patients were more frequently planned for discharge if they resided in hospitals with a hi...

QUALYOP project 2: monitoring the dismantling of Italian psychiatric hospitals. Psychotropic drug use in 1072 inpatients.

Abstract: Objective This study describes the use of psychotropic drugs in a sample of eight Italian psychiatric hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional approach was used to collect information about sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the inpatient population, and about medications prescribed. Prescribing behaviour in the hospitals was compared using three indicators: the number of patients taking psychotropic drugs, the use of high doses of neuroleptics and the use of multiple neuroleptics. Results More than a thousand patients were resident in the eight hospitals on the census day, 56% of them males. Half the population had an ICD-X diagnosis of schizophrenia, one third of mental retardation. Sixty-nine percent of the sample was on neuroleptic therapy, nearly 47% on benzodiazepines and 4% on antidepressants. Twenty percent of the sample did not take any psychotropic drug on the census day. After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical variables, setting-related variables resulted as determinants of psychotropic drug use. Conclusions These data call for continuing education in psychopharmacology towards a more rational use of drugs; longitudinal audits of clinical practice should be implemented to guide clinicians toward a more rational use of psychotropic drugs. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.