A comparison of geriatric psychiatric inpatients of two German psychiatric university hospitals in integrated or separated (with regard to age) care - part 2: Diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Objective: We wanted to compare geriatric psychiatric patients and their management in an integrated (with other adult age groups) care in the Psychiatric University Hospital of Gottingen (IGV) compared to those in a separated (according to age) care in the Psychiatric University Hospital of Magdeburg (SGV). Compared to the former, the latter is also involved in the regional obligatory care system. Method: We performed standardised chart reviews of randomly selected groups of patients, wo had been treated in the IGV (n = 104) and the SGV (n = 144) in the years 1998 and 1999. Results: Most patients of the SGV suffered from organic brain diseases/dementia (SGV: 57.6 %; IGV: 36.6 %). In the IGV, depression (51 %) and addiction (27.9%) were the most frequent diagnoses. Disabilities of vision, audition, speech or tremor and muscle diseases were more often found in the SGV. Specialised diagnostics were performed mostly in the SGV. Both institutions treated the majority of patients with antipsychotic drugs. A program of ergotherapy and physiotherapy was significantly more often documented in the SGV. Nearly half of the SGV patients were released into changed living environments (IGV: 12.9%). Conclusion: Patients with further progressed organic brain diseases/dementia as well as older, psychically and somatically more severely ill patients were treated more frequently in the SGV. Obligatory care seems to be the reason for this and not separation or integration. In general, separated care according to age seems to provide a more diversified treatment approach for the elderly.