Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/dec.2019.55.02.02
Comparison of Clinical and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Patients with Schizophrenia Treated Stationary and at Day Hospital
Ivana Blažinović
; Department of Psychiatry UHC Sestre milosrdnice
Ivona Orlović
; Institute of Public Health, Međimurje County, Čakovec
Dalibor Karlović
; Department of Psychiatry UHC Sestre milosrdnice
Vjekoslav Peitl
orcid.org/0000-0003-4163-6411
; Department of Psychiatry UHC Sestre milosrdnice
Abstract
The contemporary concept of treating schizophrenia tends to achieve functional remission, reducing the number and length of hospitalizations and improving the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to identify and compare the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with schizophrenia treated stationary and those treated at Day Hospital. This study, with the four month time interval, randomly included 60 participants with schizophrenia aged 18 to 55, who were divided into two groups. First group of 30 participants was treated only stationary, and the other 30 participants were treated only at Day Hospital. Each participant completed a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire which was created for the purpose of this research. The results showed that participants treated at Day Hospital are younger, have a higher education level, and are more capable of working and functioning adequately. They are also more likely to receive psychiatric treatment from the early stages of their illness. Furthermore, participants treated in the Day Hospital setting have been less frequently hospitalized due to their illness (fewer acute episodes) than inpatients, which was statistically significant (t = 3,763; p = 0,001), as a consequence of which they have a longer remission periods. This could contribute to better personal and social functioning, as well as to a better management of daily life, and thus implies a higher level of life quality compared to the inpatients.
Keywords
schizophrenia; day care, medical; inpatients; psychotherapy, group
Hrčak ID:
228431
URI
Publication date:
16.12.2019.
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