Although psychiatric aftercare has received increased attention, little
is known about patients' needs for community resources or about
predischarge referral patterns. The authors interviewed hospital staff
about needs and referrals for each of 747 patients about to be discharged.
Nearly all patients had needs in the medical/therapeutic area and most
received referrals. In three other nonmedical aftercare areas needs were
identified for a much lower percentage of patients, and identified need was
two to three times greater than referrals made. The authors discuss the
implications of these findings for the provision of aftercare services.Abstract Teaser