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[Transfer of patients between a unit of geriatric psychiatry and general hospitals: a one-year analysis].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Patients with psychogeriatric disorders normally are affected by comorbid medical illnesses. In this context the question where to set therapeutic priorities often arises. With regard to that issue frequency of and indications for patient transfer from general hospital to a psychogeriatric unit and vice versa were evaluated in this study.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Retrospective analysis of all admissions during one year in a geriatric psychiatry department of a regional hospital for psychiatry and neurology.


RESULTS
1005 episodes of treatment were analysed: 65.9 % female patients, mean age 76.7 + or - 9.3 years, mean length of stay 37.2 + or - 25.1 days; main diagnoses: organic mental disorders 50.9 %, affective disorders 30.8 %, others 18.3 %. In 330 cases patients were transferred, either from general hospital to the psychogeriatric unit (n = 164) or vice versa (n = 100), or transfer took place back and forth (n = 66). In the overall 166 transfers to general hospitals acute general medical conditions were the most frequent causes (62.7 %), with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases representing the most common diagnoses (24.1 and 13.3 % of all transfers, respectively).


CONCLUSION
Although the results presented here originate from one single region and thus cannot be taken as representative for Germany as a whole they indicate a considerable overlap of the clientele of general hospitals and psychogeriatric units. In view of expected demographic changes which presumably will result in a growing proportion of persons with (psycho)geriatric disorders, cooperation between general hospitals, psychogeriatric departments and outpatient treatment has to be intensified with high priority.