Judgments of release readiness as related to discharge from a neuropsychiatric hospital

Abstract

Objectives of this study were to determine whether judgments of release readiness are related to discharge. Subjects included 465 male schizophrenic patients continuously hospitalized in the Veterans Administration Hospital, Brecksville, Ohio, for a minimum of 30 days. Major findings are (1) over the 4-year period, the differences in percentages discharged between the “ready” and “not ready” groups are statistically significant; (2) judgments of release readiness were found statistically significant in relationship to discharge or nondischarge of patients; and (3) patient's previous hospitalization was proven to be significant in relationship to release readiness judgments and discharge for those judged ready but not for others.