A recent report co-authored by U of A nursing professor Donna Wilson highlights how mental health patients are high users of our health system.
The authors conclude that "closing psychiatric hospital beds, beds that are used by persons who are at considerable risk of being high users of inpatient and ambulatory hospital care services, would likely have an impact on general public access to all acute care hospital services; including inpatient beds, ERs, outpatient clinics, and daysurgery clinics."
Wilson and her co-authors also observed that:
"Mental illness comprised the most common diagnosis for high users who had long hospital stays", (page 21)
"Mental illness was the second most common diagnosis among high users of day surgery clinics" (page 21)
"82.6% of patients were admitted to this psychiatric hospital through a transfer from an acute care hospital" (page 33)
"A total of 87 care facilities made transfers to this psychiatric hospital over 2 years for acute psychiatric care" (page 33)
"Although closing beds in psychiatric hospitals and acute care hospitals may appear to be a simple and straightforward way to increase hospital efficiency and reduce health system costs, these closures could exacerbate hospital access issues and other concerns for urban and rural citizens." (page 38)
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