Deinstitutionalization of long-stay psychiatric patients in upper Austria -: Utilization of healthcare resources and costs of outpatient care

Objective: The study was intended to evaluate the therapeutic and healthcare services utilized by 116 former long-stay patients after an average of 42.9 months of deinstitutionalization during a follow-up time of (1)/(2) year and to calculate the costs thus incurred. Methods: 116 patients and their caregivers; were interviewed during a period of 6 months using the German version of the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory. Results: On average, 3.3 institutions/facilities were contacted per patient, most often by younger patients living in group homes and least often by patients in psychiatric nursing homes. During the 6-month follow-up time costs of E 14,665 were incurred per patient. Of these costs, 87.2% were for the residential facilities. The costs of outpatient care accounted for 41.4% of the costs that would have been incurred for inpatient care in a psychiatric hospital. Conclusions: Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric long-stay patients in Upper Austria provided for considerable reductions in costs while maintaining a high quality of care.