Are patients improving during and after a psychiatric hospitalisation? Continuity of care outcomes of compulsory and voluntary admissions to an Italian psychiatric ward

Background: To compare the characteristics of compulsory admissions (CAs) and voluntary admissions (VAs) in a General Hospital Psychiatric Unit (GHPU), and to assess whether CA and VA patients’ outcomes improved during hospitalisation and follow-up in mental health services (MHS) based on community continuity of care. Design and methods: Observational longitudinal study comparing 19 CAs and 83 VAs consecutively admitted to GHPU of Udine, Italy, and followed-up for six-months by MHS. Five psychometric scales assessed psychosocial and clinical characteristics for each patient at admission (T0), discharge (T1) and follow-up (T2). Statistical analyses were performed using: multivariate logistic regression for comparing CA and VA; Friedman χ2 and Mann-Whitney tests for outcomes’ improvement. Results: Being hospitalised for a psychotic crisis was the most significant predictor of CA (OR = 5.07). An outcomes’ improvement was observed from T0 to T1 in almost all psychometric tests, while from T1 to T2 only for PSP-A (useful social activities), CGI-S (severity of illness) and CGI-EI (drug’s efficacy related to side effects). CA was associated to lower performances in all scales at T0, in GAF and CGI-S at T1, while no difference with VA was observed at T2. Conclusions: CA and VA patients improved to a same extent during hospitalisation and follow-up, particularly in relation to social functioning. This fosters the hypothesis that community-based MHS using a longitudinal continuity of care model might achieve recovery in a long-term perspective. Future research may benefit by considering patients’ subjective experiences and assessing long-term improvement in those who received person-centred interventions.