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The Effect of Research on Readmission to a Psychiatric Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

O. Ben-Arie*
Affiliation:
MRC Clinical Psychiatry Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Republic of South Africa
A. Koch
Affiliation:
MRC Clinical Psychiatry Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Republic of South Africa
M. Welman
Affiliation:
MRC Clinical Psychiatry Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Republic of South Africa
A. F. Teggin
Affiliation:
MRC Clinical Psychiatry Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Republic of South Africa
*
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada

Abstract

The effects on outcome of research into the course of psychiatric illness are controversial. This study examines a cohort of research patients involved in an outcome study in which the research and clinical teams were kept separate. While research intervention of this nature would not be expected to influence outcome, the research cohort had fewer readmissions than non-research controls. This occurred despite the presence of factors which would be expected to be associated with a contrary result. It is stressed that the confounding effects of research need to be taken into account when designing follow-up studies and evaluating outcome results.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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