The Reporting Habits of Staff in a Psychiatric Hospital

This study examined the frequency, length, and content of staffs discussions and written reports about 90 hospitalized psychiatric patients. The reporting habits of staff on three different units of one hospital were compared. On the units where nursing staff were primary case managers, discussion was less likely to include mention of treatment goals or plans than where psychiatrists were case managers, or where nursing staff were case managers and patients were encouraged to attend case reviews. There was no difference between the units on recording habits, but nursing staff were consistently more dependable than psychiatrists at record-keeping.