[Quality assurance of take-over from in-patient to out-patient care: experiences in Lower Austria].

OBJECTIVE: Community mental health teams (CMHT) provide support for severely disabled, chronic mentally ill patients. In this study, referrals to CMHT by a psychiatric hospital in Lower Austria were analysed, as were the first few weeks of care for referred patients. METHODS: Referrals to CMHT of a catchment area (pop 250.000) were analysed for 2002- 2006. RESULTS: In the first 6 months of each year, 124 to 189 patients were referred to CMHT. Between 2002 and 2006, the percentage of affective disorders (ICD-10: F3: 40.0 %), and substance use disorders (F1: 38.9 %) within the referrals diminished, as compared to patients suffering from schizophrenia (F2 initially 25.4 % of referrals vs. 49.7 %) and personality disorders (F6 initially 6.4 % of referrals vs. 22.4 %). In 30.7 % vs. 56.6 % of patients, CMHT workers managed to establish contact to patients after discharge from hospital. They actively sought contact with 39.9 to 74.6 % of referred patients (by means of telephone calls, letters, home visits, etc.). In 26.5 to 46.9 % of the referrals, continuous care was planned. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the advantage of specific referrals to CMHT, if care for severely disabled individuals is needed and should be provided. Furthermore, a description of outreach activities, which are intended to maintain contact with patients characterized by poor compliance, is presented. These activities are not yet part of routine care in German speaking countries.