Amalgamating psychiatric services with polyclinic in a multispecialty service hospital

Abstract

Background: Provision of multitude of medical services under one roof is a norm in modern hospitals. However, in many service hospitals, psychiatric services are still confined within the premises of psychiatric wards. Due to the social stigma attached to psychiatric care many psychiatric patients avoid visiting the psychiatric ward for mental health care. The main objective of this study was to improve attendance in the psychiatric outpatient department (OPD) by making it accessible and acceptable for the clientele in a busy multispecialty service hospital. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010. During the 1st year of the study (i.e., 2009), psychiatry OPD services continued in the psychiatry ward. From January 1, 2010, psychiatric OPD was shifted to polyclinic with a new name as “Department of behavioral sciences and deaddiction.” The data for the year 2009 and 2010 were compared using the Chi-square test. Results: There was a significant rise in the total number of new OPD patients from 522 to 1779 (P