[Deinstitutionalization of long-stay psychiatric patients in upper Austria -- utilization of healthcare resources and costs of outpatient care].

OBJECTIVE: The study was intended to evaluate the therapeutic and healthcare services utilized by 116 former long-stay patients after an average of 42.9 months of deinstitutionalization during a follow-up time of (1/2) year and to calculate the costs thus incurred.
METHODS: 116 patients and their caregivers were interviewed during a period of 6 months using the German version of the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory.
RESULTS: On average, 3.3 institutions/facilities were contacted per patient, most often by younger patients living in group homes and least often by patients in psychiatric nursing homes. During the 6-month follow-up time costs of euro 14,665 were incurred per patient. Of these costs, 87.2 % were for the residential facilities. The costs of outpatient care accounted for 41.4 % of the costs that would have been incurred for inpatient care in a psychiatric hospital.
CONCLUSIONS: Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric long-stay patients in Upper Austria provided for considerable reductions in costs while maintaining a high quality of care.