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Fewer beds, but more consultations
statistikk
2000-09-21T10:00:00.000Z
Health
en
speshelsepsyk, Specialist health service, psychiatryHealth services , Health
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Specialist health service, psychiatry, 1999

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Fewer beds, but more consultations

From 1990 to 1999 the number of beds in psychiatric institutions was reduced by 23 per cent, from just over 8 000 to nearly 6 200. At the same time the number of outpatient consultations rose. This represents a shift in operations in line with national health policy goals.

A central health policy goal for psychiatric services is to offer more outpatient treatment and other day services instead of stays in psychiatric institutions. The reduction in beds in the 1990s has taken place at psychiatric institutions for adults, where one in four beds has been eliminated. The number of places at psychiatric institutions for children and adolescents increased from 266 in 1990 to 325 in 1999.

At the end of 1999 the country as a whole had 1.7 beds per 1 000 inhabitants aged 18 and up in adult psychiatry, and 0.3 bed per 1 000 inhabitants aged 0 to 17 in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Fewer days in hospital

At the same time as the number of available beds have been reduced, the number of days spent in hospital has gone down by more than 600 000 [corrected 27.09.2000] days from 1990 to 1999. This corresponds to a 23 [corrected 27.09.2000] per cent decline in the period. The number of concluded stays has increased during the same period. In 1999 nearly 32 600 stays were concluded at psychiatric institutions, while the corresponding number in 1990 was 21 250. Discharges have increased by 53 per cent during the nine-year period. This corresponds to an average annual growth of almost 5 per cent. If we look at the relative relationship between the variables days in hospital and discharges, we see that days in hospital per discharge were reduced from 123 [corrected 27.09.2000] in 1990 to 61 in 1999. The increase in the number of discharges per bed surged in the 1990s, from 2.7 in 1990 to 5.3 in 1999.

More out-patient consultations

Around 673 500 outpatient consultations which qualified for reimbursement by the national insurance system were carried out at psychiatric institutions and independent outpatient hospitals. Of these, 163 800 were for psychiatric treatment of children and adolescents and 509 700 for psychiatric treatment of adults. This corresponds to 156 outpatient consultations per 1 000 inhabitants aged 0 to 17 in child and adolescent psychiatry and 148 outpatient consultations in adult psychiatry per 1 000 inhabitants aged 18 and up

Increase in man-years

Psychiatric staffing, measured in man-years, rose throughout the 1990s. For psychiatry as a whole, the increase has been 1 740 man-years from 1990 to 1999. The relatively largest increase has been in child and adolescent psychiatry, which saw a man-year increase of 803. This corresponds to an average annual growth of nearly five per cent. In adult psychiatry, man-years increased by 937 from 1990 to 1999, a 7.2 per cent increase.

Psychiatry, 1990 - 1999. Key figures
        1990       1995       1996       1997       1998       1999
Beds 8 011 6 667 6 573 6 368 6 295 6 165
Beds, adult psychiatry 7 745 6 384 6 277 6 064 5 975 5 840
Beds, child and adolescent psychiatry 266 283 296 304 320 325
Bed-days in 1 000 2 6033 2 1483 2 1073 2 0683 2 033 1 998
Discharges 21 242 26 113 27 131 28 948 30 201 32 587
Bed-days per discharge of whole-day patients 1233 823 783 71 67 61
Outpatient consultations1 in 1 000 396 611 575 591 621 674
Outpatient consultations1, adult psychiatry in 1 000 272 429 435 449 473 510
Outpatient consultations1, child and adolescent psychiatry in 1 000 124 181 140 142 148 164
Outpatient consultations1 per 1 000 population 92 140 130 134 140 150
Total man-years2 14 469 14 806 15 079 15 504 15 844 16 209
Total man-years2, adult psychiatry 12 980 13 010 13 151 13 485 13 689 13 917
Total man-years2, child and adolescent psychiatry 1 490 1 796 1 928 2 019 2 155 2 293
Total man-years of physicians2 psychiatry 741 886 905 961 1 040 1 076
Total man-years of nurses2 psychiatry 3 309 3 857 4 149 4 376 4 511 4 515
Total man-years of auxiliary nurses2 psychiatry 3 203 3 223 3 262 3 287 3 179 3 013
1  In 1996 the definition of outpatient consultations was changed.
2  Man-years is the number of full-time employees and number of part-time employees (converted to full-time employees) at the end of the year. Overtime is not included.
3  Corrected 27.09.2000.

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