[Psychiatric outpatient consultation-liaison services--how do they work and what are their effects: results of a pilot study?].

OBJECTIVES: Many patients benefit from interventions performed by the psychiatric liaison service.
METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study of community dwelling elderly patients supplemented by a questionnaire answered by family members, as well as expert interviews with the members of the consultation-liaison team and semi-structured interviews with family members.
RESULTS: The majority of patients had some benefit from the liaison psychiatric interventions, access to care was improved and lack of specialist support was reduced. In addition there was some cost offset due to prevention of admissions to nursing homes and inpatient hospital treatment. DISCUSSION: With regard to demographic developments gerontopsychiatric liaison services should be integrated into the present system of health care. This should be supported by adjusting judicial obstacles that hamper such strategies. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.