A randomized controlled study of psychiatric consultation guided by screening in general medical inpatients.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that psychiatric consultation would reduce health care utilization during and after medical hospitalization. Method: A randomized, double-controlled clinical trial of psychiatric consultation was conducted on the general medical inpatient services of a university hospital. After meeting inclusion criteria, 1,541 patients were screened for depression, anxiety, confusion, and pain over a period of 21 months