2010 Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 55-64
In order to grasp the actual situation of general hospital psychiatry in October, 2008, we conducted a questionnaire at 718 general hospitals. There was a response from 452 institutions (63.0%), and 53 institutions, which did not perform psychiatry medical examination and treatment, were excluded. As a result, the data of 399 institutions were analyzed. General hospitals with psychiatric departments were expected to play a central role, especially in emergency medicine, physical complication treatment and palliative care and so on. However, responses from psychiatrists and support staff were insufficient. There were a large number of psychiatrists at institutions with psychiatric beds. The number of psychiatric social workers, psychiatric occupational therapists or clinical psychologists was small, except for those at general hospitals with psychiatric beds. There were few institutions which had special medical treatment wards. It was difficult to secure responses from doctors and support staff, and the medical service fee system does not properly reflect the staff assignment standard. Some general hospitals have reduced or abolished psychiatric beds and decreased psychiatric staff including psychiatrists. A medical service fee system that properly reflects staff enhancement and close collaboration with general medical service is needed in order to guarantee an adequate number of psychiatric staff.
