Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of the Contingent of Elderly in-Patients in a Frame of the Modern Model of Psychogeriatric Care

Background: a system of reforming of psychiatric care in Russia has led to a reduction of beds in psychiatric hospitals. At the same time it is known about permanent high need among elderly patients in the appropriate psychiatric care. In this regard, it became necessary to study the adequacy of the assistance provided to the needs of patients.

The aim of the research: to investigate and compare clinic-epidemiological characteristics of the contingent of the elderly and senile inpatients in the city psychiatric care system and at the research institution.

Materials and methods: as a material for the research served data from the reports from Moscow Clinical Psychiatric Hospital #13 (MCPH #13) and the  clinic of Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) about the patients older than 65 treated in 2017–2018.

The results: this article contains comparative data about contingents of elderly psychiatric in-patients treated in the Moscow City Clinical Psychiatric  Hospital #13 and in the Mental Health Research Center (MHRC). Collation of the indicated contingents allowed to determine that city psychiatric care  satisfactorily meets needs of the severe psychiatric patients older than 65. However the experience of the clinic of the MHRC differs. This clinic has  some peculiarities: it does not use involuntary hospitalization and it gives preference to difficult cases, where diagnosis is unclear, and where there is a challenge to find an appropriate treatment regimen; patients that require  special care are also rarely admitted. This experience indicates that there is significant number of cases when hospitalization of patients with moderate  mental disorders is also absolutely necessary. The majority of such cases  consists of patients, suffering with depression and the necessity of their admission is dictated by the impossibility to adjust proper therapy in out- patient care.

Conclusion: the contemporary Moscow city psychiatric service do not meet needs of the discussed category of patients for inpatient care. Whether it is  necessary to improve it, or to provide this niche to scientific and commercial institutions is a matter of further research. 

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