Crisis discharges and readmission risk in acute psychiatric male inpatients.

Background: Severe pressures on beds in psychiatric services have led to the implementation of an early ("crisis") discharge policy in the Western Cape, South Africa. The study examined the effect of this policy and length of hospital stay (LOS) on readmission rates in one psychiatric hospital in South Africa.

Methods: Discharge summaries of adult male patients (n = 438) admitted to Stikland Psychiatric Hospital during 2004 were retrospectively examined.