The Impact of a Walk-in Clinic on a General Hospital Psychiatric Service

Because of the problems caused by a long waiting list of patients wanting psychiatric services, in January 1970 the department of psychiatry of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit decided to set aside one day a week for a walk-in clinic. On that day any patient who wanted psychiatric help could appear without an appointment and be assured of being seen. The intake of new patients increased significantly after the clinic was established, from 447 in 1969 to 540 in 1970. The authors compared the patients seen at the clinic with those using conventional referral procedures to determine differences between the two groups in place of residence, social class, source of referral, diagnosis, and disposition.