J Rural Health
September 2009
Context: Access to psychiatric services, particularly inpatient psychiatric care, is limited and lacks comprehensiveness in rural areas.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact on readmission rates of a multifaceted inpatient psychiatry approach (MIPA) offered in a rural hospital.
Methods: Readmissions within 30 days of patients who were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit using a MIPA model of care (N = 147) were compared to readmissions of a comparison group of patients who were admitted prior to the adoption of the MIPA (N = 37).