A total of 175 newly admitted inpatients who lived with their families
were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: standard inpatient care
and brief hospitalization with and without transitional day care. Case
reports of 6 of the 9 patients considered "study failures" illustrate that
effective postdischarge adaptation is limited by the patients' degree of
impairment as well as the family and community capacity to accept them.
Although rapid return to the community is beneficial to many patients,
rigid adherence to this policy is neither wise nor clinically
effective.Abstract Teaser