Pattern of Care for Schizophrenia Patients in Granada (Spain): A Case Register Study

Abstract

This study sets out to explore the use flow of mental health services by a cohort of patients with schizophrenia located in Granada (Spain). All cases (N = 844) included in the analysis were users of the community mental healthcare public service provided in the area. The Markov chain model was used to calculate the probability of transition from one type of contact with mental health services resources to another type of contact in the next month, over a three-year follow-up. For a given one-month period, for each level of service contact, most patients continued to use the same level of care. Our results can be interpreted as a reflection of adequate continuity of mental health care provided by the Andalusian community service.