Evaluation of a Model of Integrated Care for Patients With Chronic Medical and Psychiatric Illness.

BACKGROUND: Chronic illnesses are prevalent in general medical and psychiatric practices, causing significant disease burden to care givers and providers. Systems of care that treat individuals with mental illness are often separate from general medical systems of care. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to compare the quality of life, satisfaction with care, and utilization of care in patients with comorbid chronic medical and mental illnesses. METHODS: A total of 64 participants from an integrated medicine and psychiatry clinic (med/psych), were compared with 52 patients from separate internal medicine and psychiatry clinics (within the same institution) for quality of life, satisfaction with care, and utilization of care. RESULT: Patients receiving integrated care reported being more satisfied with care compared with patients treated separately. There were no differences in quality of life between the groups. A nonsignificant trend toward fewer emergency room visits and fewer hospital stays for the integrated care group compared with the separate care group was observed. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that integrated care for psychiatric and medical disorders improved the patients׳ experience of care and therefore may have positively affected the outcome of care. Further work is needed to compare medical and psychiatric comorbidities and costs of care and quality measures in these 2 groups.

Longitudinal assessment of clinical risk factors for depression in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND: During initial assessment of individuals with schizophrenia and related disorders (schizophrenia spectrum disorders [SSDs]), clinicians tend to pay greater attention to psychotic symptoms than mood symptoms, including depression. Depression is reported to influence the course of SSDs, but not much is known about the risk factors for depression in SSDs. In the present study, we examined clinical predictors of depression in SSDs. METHODS: The sample included 71 patients with SSDs followed in a modified Assertive Community Treatment program, the Community Support Network of Springfield, Illinois. The study design was naturalistic, prospective, and longitudinal (mean follow-up = 8.3 years; SD = 7.3). The GENMOD procedure appropriate for repeated measures analysis with dichotomous outcome variables followed longitudinally was computed. RESULTS: Rates of depression ranged from 18% to 41% over the differing assessment periods. Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder did not vary by depression rate. Depression independent of SSD diagnosis was associated with greater hospitalization rates. Clinical variables predict- ing depression were auditory hallucinations, delusions, poor insight, and poor judgment. CONCLUSIONS: Psychotic symptoms in the course of SSDs are risk factors for depression. As a consequence, the mental status examination of patients with SSDs with active psychosis should include assessment of mood changes. Further research is warranted to determine if treatment of depression among patients with SSDs may reduce their rates of hospitalization.

Systems-based aspects in the training of IMG or previously trained residents: comparison of psychiatry residency training in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: International medical graduates (IMGs) account for a significant proportion of residents in psychiatric training in the United States. Many IMGs may have previously completed psychiatry residency training in other countries. Their experiences may improve our system. Authors compared and contrasted psychiatry residency training in the U.S. to that of Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Nigeria. The study also highlights the systems-based features that may have an impact on the adaptation of IMGs (especially previously-trained) to U.S. psychiatry residency. METHODS: Individuals who are familiar with psychiatry residency training in the United States and were previously trained in other countries synthesized information available on websites, official documents, and previous literature, as well as their experiences with past training. RESULTS: Psychiatry residencies vary considerably in all five countries in terms of the duration of training, curriculum, clinical experience, psychotherapy training, research experience, supervision, and evaluation processes. Residency training in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. is well-structured and has more psychotherapy training. The U.K. has enhanced exposure to community psychiatry. The U.K., India, and Nigeria have increased emphasis on psychopathology. Training in India and Nigeria has a higher quantity of clinical work, less record-keeping, less emphasis on patient autonomy, and a mandatory prospective clinical research requirement. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of services and training is substantially influenced by national mental health policies, culture, and local traditions. Despite numerous commonalities, there are some differences in psychiatry training among all five countries. Awareness of these differences in education, systems, and interactions may help psychiatric educators to understand IMGs (especially those previously-trained) as they adapt to U.S. training.