Inpatient Equivalent Home Treatment (IEHT) compared to inpatient psychiatric treatment: 12-month follow-up results of a retrospectively matched cohort study using propensity score

Aim of the study Comparison of psychiatric services use in the 12-month follow-up period between Inpatient Equivalent Home Treatment (IEHT) and inpatient psychiatric treatment.Methods In a retrospective 12-month follow-up study, 223 patients from the Inpatient Equivalent Home Treatment (IEHT) intervention group (IG) were compared to a matched inpatient control group (CG) on their utilization of psychiatric services.Results The inpatient readmission rate in the IG was significantly 11% lower than in the CG. The number of treatment days in the IG was significantly lower than in the CG. In the IG, psychiatric services at the outpatient clinic were used significantly more often for the first time than in the CG.Conclusion The present study suggests that IEHT is superior to inpatient treatment in terms of the risk of inpatient readmission and the duration of inpatient treatment days. An outpatient services use effect following IEHT is observed.