TY - JOUR
T1 - Demand for psychiatric emergency services and immigration. Findings in a Spanish hospital during the year 2003
AU - Perez-Rodriguez, M. Mercedes
AU - Baca-Garcia, Enrique
AU - Quintero-Gutierrez, Francisco J.
AU - Gonzalez, Gloria
AU - Saiz-Gonzalez, Dolores
AU - Botillo, Carlota
AU - Basurte-Villamor, Ignacio
AU - Sevilla, Juncal
AU - Gonzalez De Rivera, Jose L.
PY - 2006/8
Y1 - 2006/8
N2 - Background: The aim of this study is to investigate differences among immigrants and natives regarding access and pathways to psychiatric care, psychiatric admission rates, length of stay, continuity of care, and main diagnoses. Methods: Psychiatric emergency visits (1511) and hospitalizations (410) were registered in a Spanish Hospital with a catchment area of 280 000 people (19.3% immigrants) during the year 2003. Motives for demanding emergency psychiatric care, pathways to care, admission rates, length of stay, continuity of care, and main diagnoses were compared among natives and immigrants. Results: Immigrants accounted for 13.0% of consultations to the psychiatric emergency room (15.9% of patients) and 11.0% of admissions to the psychiatric hospitalization unit (13.5% of patients). The pathways to care were different for immigrants and natives. Immigrants had a lower rate of readmission to the psychiatric emergency room. Motives for consultation and hospitalization were also different among immigrants and natives. Immigrants showed more self-aggressive behaviours and neuroses, and lower rates of affective disorders and psychoses. Conclusions: Immigrants under-used psychiatric emergency and hospitalization services in comparison with natives. They did not consult because of psychoses or affective disorders, but mainly because of reactive conditions related to the stress of migration.
AB - Background: The aim of this study is to investigate differences among immigrants and natives regarding access and pathways to psychiatric care, psychiatric admission rates, length of stay, continuity of care, and main diagnoses. Methods: Psychiatric emergency visits (1511) and hospitalizations (410) were registered in a Spanish Hospital with a catchment area of 280 000 people (19.3% immigrants) during the year 2003. Motives for demanding emergency psychiatric care, pathways to care, admission rates, length of stay, continuity of care, and main diagnoses were compared among natives and immigrants. Results: Immigrants accounted for 13.0% of consultations to the psychiatric emergency room (15.9% of patients) and 11.0% of admissions to the psychiatric hospitalization unit (13.5% of patients). The pathways to care were different for immigrants and natives. Immigrants had a lower rate of readmission to the psychiatric emergency room. Motives for consultation and hospitalization were also different among immigrants and natives. Immigrants showed more self-aggressive behaviours and neuroses, and lower rates of affective disorders and psychoses. Conclusions: Immigrants under-used psychiatric emergency and hospitalization services in comparison with natives. They did not consult because of psychoses or affective disorders, but mainly because of reactive conditions related to the stress of migration.
KW - Continuity of care
KW - Ethnicity
KW - Hospital
KW - Immigration
KW - Pathway to care
KW - Psychiatric care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33748155276&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/eurpub/ckl021
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckl021
M3 - Article
C2 - 16524938
AN - SCOPUS:33748155276
SN - 1101-1262
VL - 16
SP - 383
EP - 387
JO - European Journal of Public Health
JF - European Journal of Public Health
IS - 4
ER -