1998 Volume 44 Issue 1 Pages 47-53
Objective: We investigated the functions and roles of no-ward-psychiatry in a general hospital. Materials: We studied of 10,369 patients who required emergency services at Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital in the 1996 year. Methods: We extracted 185 psychiatric disease-related patients from all the patients who required emergency services, and reviewed the clinical statistics. Results: At our hospital, the rate of psychiatric disease-related patients equalled the rate in general hospital with psychiatric wards. The emergency services were the first treatment for many of these patients, so it was demonstrated that our hospital carried out the important role of a key hospital in the Urayasu area. In the classification of psychiatric disease-related patients, neurotic disorder was most frequent. Regarding the initial examination, doctors from other departments were more frequently involved than psychiatrists, so the emergency psychiatric service at our hospital owed much to other departments. It was clarified that we must consolidate the psychiatric network in this area and educate our hospital staffs on a regarding psychiatry. Conclusions: It is estimated that the demand for emergency psychiatric services in general hospitals without a psychiatric ward will increase. The problems at our hospital in providing emergency psychiatric services were reviewed.
