The Nordic Comparative Study on Sectorized Psychiatry - length of in-patient stay

Objective: Length of stay (LOS) of 'first' in-patient episodes was investigated in this study, which is part of the Nordic Comparative Study on Sectorized Psychiatry. Method: A total of 837 consecutive 'new' patients (not in contact with the psychiatric sen ices for at least 18 months) admitted as in-patients during a period of 1 year to seven psychiatric hospitals in four Nordic countries were included. Results: Survival analyses showed considerable differences in LOS between the hospitals, and the factors analysed in this study could not explain this variance. Older age, being female, having no children at home, psychosis, planned admission and out-patient contacts were all associated with increased LOS. Conclusion: Stratifying on gender, diagnostic group and hospital revealed a general pattern of associations except for age

The screen for cognitive impairment in psychiatry: diagnostic-specific standardization in psychiatric ill patients

BACKGROUND: The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) is a simple and easy to administer scale developed for screening cognitive deficits. This study presents the diagnostic-specific standardization data for this scale in a sample of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder patients. METHODS: Patients between 18 and 55 years who are in a stable phase of the disease, diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, or bipolar I disorder were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: The SCIP-S was administered to 514 patients (57.9% male), divided into two age groups (18–39 and 40–55 years) and two educational level groups (less than and secondary or higher education). The performance of the patients on the SCIP-S is described and the transformed scores for each SCIP-S subtest, as well as the total score on the instrument, are presented as a percentile, z-score, T-scores, and IQ quotient. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first jointly developed benchmarks for a cognitive screening test exploring functional psychosis (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), which provide increased information about patient’s cognitive abilities. Having guidelines for interpreting SCIP-S scores represents a step forward in the clinical utility of this instrument and adds valuable information for its use