• I-Chih Cheng, Shih-Cheng Liao, Ming-Been Lee, and Meg Mei-Chih Tseng.
• Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
• J Formos Med Assoc. 2007 Nov 1;106(11):903-10.

Background/PurposeDepressive illness is highly recurrent, frequently chronic and associated with a high level of functional disability. Studies have shown that depression combined with anxiety is the most common reason for admission worldwide. This study aimed to examine the variables associated with treatment response or length of stay (LOS) among a group of inpatients with major depression.MethodsThe attending psychiatrist rated severity of depression (using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, HAM-D) of the patients (n = 67), and the patients were asked to complete several self-rating scales (including the Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) on admission. Three days before discharge, these assessments were repeated. Logistic regression models were used to examine the variables of remission status (defined by the HAM-D or the BDI) and LOS (dichotomized by a median of 25 days), respectively.ResultsThe remission rates of depression at discharge defined by the HAM-D (ConclusionThere was no evidence to show that patients with a long hospital stay would gain treatment benefits over patients with short stay. This study provides evidence to support that a structured inpatient treatment plan might gain some economic benefits without compromising treatment efficacy. The admission of hospitalization repeaters should be managed optimally based on the considerations of treatment efficacy and its impact on longer hospital stay.

15 keywords...

hide…