Clinical and cost benefits of liaison psychiatry.

A liaison psychiatrist participated in the postoperative care of a group of elderly patients who underwent surgery for fractured femurs. Clinical outcomes for this group were compared with a control group of patients who were not treated by a liaison psychiatrist. Length of stay for the treatment group was 12 days shorter than for the control group, and twice as many patients in the treatment group returned home rather than being discharged to a nursing home or other health-related institution; therefore, a substantial reduction in the cost of their medical care was effected. The authors suggest that psychiatric liaison services should be viewed as a potential cost containment mechanism for general medical care.