Issues surrounding severe psychiatric post-patients’ community living in Japan; how can we best prepare them?

Abstract

Introduction

The average length of stay in Japan at psychiatric hospital is 292 days. In recent years, measures to shorten the hospitalisation period are being promoted.

Objective

To understand patients who were discharged from emergency ward/acute psychiatric care units the needs post-discharge, in order to improve the quality of psychiatric nursing care at the psychiatric out patient care.

Methods

Sixty-two patients who have been hospitalised in emergency ward/acute psychiatric care units, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and mood disorders, and currently visiting the outpatient department of psychiatric care were selected as the subject. Semi-structured interviews were conducted.

Results

The issues that patients faced post-discharged were;

– daily life issues: how to support themselves, how to cook, what to eat, and how to sleep;

– relationship with families and supporters;

– concerns of their conditions such as anxiety, restlessness, disaffection, loneliness, isolated feeling, drowsiness. Patients consulted their family members, their doctors, or professionals other than doctors.

Conclusion

The needs for the support for patients who recently discharged from an acute psychiatric ward were high, with the instability of the patient as well as the possibility of worsening their symptoms. There was a high demand for professionals other than a doctor as a consultant, given the limited consulting resources the patients have. The patients’ concerns post-discharge varied widely, focusing mainly on their daily lives. Support system, including monitoring, is necessary during early stages of discharge.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.