An Aftercare Program for Problem Patients

The high readmission rates of discharged psychiatric patients have forced mental health professionals to play closer attention to aftercare planning. A program was developed at a psychiatric hospital in Ontario in 1977 to deal with "problem patients"—those who were deemed difficult to place in the community by the referral person or department. The program was characterized by shared institutional-community staffing, systematic aftercare assessment and planning, a crisis intervention approach to discharge, the use of a transitional staff member with patients, and the development of close relationships with community agencies. Study data show that the program was effective in limiting the number of readmissions during its first two years to 20 per cent.