Characteristics of patients readmitted to a rural Tasmanian inpatient psychiatric unit : a one year snapshot

Psychiatric hospital readmission involves only a small percentage of the general population, but has significant financial costs to the services involved. Readmission also takes an often unrecognised toll on the people stuck in the 'revolving door' (Botha et al., 2010; Frick et al., 2013). Readmission rates were identified as a key area of concern for a psychiatric unit, Spencer Clinic, based at the North West Regional Hospital in a rural part of Tasmania. Prior research has identified multiple factors linked with an increased likelihood of being readmitted, but such research has mainly been limited to urban hospitals, with Australian rural readmission rates under researched. The current study reviewed patient records for 271 individuals aged 18 years and older who were admitted to the Spencer Clinic in 2014. Results indicate that those who were readmitted to the Spencer Clinic were significantly more likely to have an intellectual disability, be unemployed or receiving a pension. There was also a trend towards significance indicating that those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were also more likely to be readmitted. The current findings suggest that readmission is influenced by more than a person's diagnosis, but the interplay between diagnosis and the social factors at work for the individual. Future research could focus on exploring possible interventions for those with an intellectual disability and mental illness to help decrease the number of admissions these people experience and increase their coping skills in the community.