AIM: This cross-sectional study attempted to identify factors associated with clinicians' dispositions of patients after the first visit in an out-patient psychiatric department. METHODS: Over a 33-month period, all new episodes of care with the department were included in the study. For each patient, socio-demographic, clinical information and contact characteristics were prospectively collected in relation to the first visit, as was information on case disposition. Factors associated with clinicians' disposition were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 1,138 patients who met the study criteria, 848 (75%) were followed up by the department, 150 (13%) were referred to other services and 140 (12%) were discharged. Suffering from a major psychiatric disorder, being younger and not living in an institution influenced clinicians' disposition to follow-up patients. Older age increased the chances of being referred to other services rather than discharged. CONCLUSIONS: Examining decision-making behaviour in out-patient psychiatric departments is a worthwhile endeavour because this setting represents the main entry point of modern and accessible community-based systems of care. The findings confirmed the importance of psychiatric determinants in the dispositional process and contribute to make clinicians more aware of other factors related to their decision-making.
AIM: This cross-sectional study attempted to identify factors associated with clinicians' dispositions of patients after the first visit in an out-patientpsychiatric department. METHODS: Over a 33-month period, all new episodes of care with the department were included in the study. For each patient, socio-demographic, clinical information and contact characteristics were prospectively collected in relation to the first visit, as was information on case disposition. Factors associated with clinicians' disposition were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 1,138 patients who met the study criteria, 848 (75%) were followed up by the department, 150 (13%) were referred to other services and 140 (12%) were discharged. Suffering from a major psychiatric disorder, being younger and not living in an institution influenced clinicians' disposition to follow-up patients. Older age increased the chances of being referred to other services rather than discharged. CONCLUSIONS: Examining decision-making behaviour in out-patientpsychiatric departments is a worthwhile endeavour because this setting represents the main entry point of modern and accessible community-based systems of care. The findings confirmed the importance of psychiatric determinants in the dispositional process and contribute to make clinicians more aware of other factors related to their decision-making.