OBJECTIVE: This study focused on inpatients with @entity161 or @entity914 who were scheduled to begin outpatient care with clinicians who had not previously treated them. The authors evaluated the effects of communication between the @entity1 and their outpatient clinicians before discharge on @entity1 ' referral compliance, @entity146 symptoms, and community function at follow-up three months after discharge. METHODS: A total of 104 adult inpatients with @entity161 or @entity914 who were scheduled to receive outpatient care from clinicians who had not previously treated them were evaluated at hospital discharge and again three months later. Comparisons were made between @entity1 who had telephone or face-to-face contact with an outpatient clinician before hospital discharge and @entity1 who did not have such contact. RESULTS: About half (51 percent) of the inpatient sample communicated with an outpatient clinician before leaving the hospital. Compared with @entity1 who had no communication, those who spoke with an outpatient clinician were significantly more likely to complete the outpatient referral. After baseline scores and other covariates were controlled for, predischarge contact with an outpatient clinician was associated with a significantly lower total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score at follow-up and less self-assessed difficulty controlling symptoms. Nonsignificant trends toward improved medication compliance and a lower rate of homelessness were also found. The two @entity1 groups did not significantly differ in the proportion who were readmitted to the hospital or who made a @entity146 emergency room visit during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Direct communication between inpatients and new outpatient clinicians may help smooth the transition to outpatient care and thereby contribute to improved control of clinical symptoms.

Linking inpatients with XXXX to outpatient care.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity161 :: ('MESH:D012559', 'Disease') :: ['schizophrenia'] @entity914 :: ('MESH:D011618', 'Disease') :: ['schizoaffective disorder'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['psychiatric']
@entity161 :: (MESH:D012559,Disease) :: ['schizophrenia']
