Author/Editor		Hofmann, Gustav; Baudis, P; Darovec, J; Frater, R; Georgiev, E; Haberfellner, M; Hasto, J; Huszar, I; Ienciu, M; Švab, V
Title		Research study on follow-up changes of psychiatric/psychosocial care in different European countries, with specific references to middle and middle-eastern Europe: report of the task force nominated by the Danubian psychiatric association
Type		članek
Source		Psychiatr Danub
Vol. and No.		Letnik 14, št. 3-4
Publication year		2002
Volume		str. 207-23
Language		eng
Abstract		A task force of the Danubian Psychiatric Association collected data of psychiatric care (hospital-based and community-based) aiming for a documentation of changes after the turn in 1989. Because of the changes in political and economic systems in the "New Democracies" structural reforms of psychiatric care, reducing size of hospitals and reducing number of beds in in patient units and a shift to ambulatory and community-based care was to be expected like in other parts of Europe before 1989. Data of psychiatric care of 1992, 1994 and 1997/1998/1999 were collected by 2 questionnaires and converted to comparable relative fcgures. Contributions came from 22 countries or regions, some of the countries contributed data of several years. Starting in 1990 meetings of the task force took place every other year (as part of the Danube Symposia of Psychiatry), the last one in 2000. In these meetings items of the questionnaires, their definition and practicability were discussed. The data depicted the development of hospital-based care and a slowly starting shift to community-based services. Beds in hospitals were reduced, admissions increased. A slow but impressive start of establishing community-based services could be shown. Data on health expenses in relation to the Gross National Product between 1990 and 1999 depicted the still existing difficulties of some countries to finance new forms of psychiatric care and modernising hospital-based care. Altogether these data can be used as a baseline for future research on the development and the structural changes in psychiatric care systems in the years to come, with special reference to the "New Democracies".
Descriptors		MENTAL DISORDERS HOSPITALIZATION COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AMBULATORY CARE HOSPITALS, PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL BED CAPACITY LENGTH OF STAY HEALTH EXPENDITURES EUROPE FOLLOW-UP STUDIES