The potential of psychiatric outpatient centers to reduce the length of stay in inpatient facilities and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the availability of psychiatric services: the case of Latvia

The move from psychiatric hospitals to community-based care is the goal of policies in many countries. Latvia has attempted to reach this goal by establishing two outpatient centers in Riga. Since 2005, when the first outpatient centers opened, the ability of day clinics to reduce the total length o...

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Published inFrontiers in health services Vol. 4; p. 1348919
Main Author Taube, Maris
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 04.07.2024
Subjects
COVID-19
Health Services
hospital beds
length of stay
number of patients
outpatient care
psychiatry
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Summary:The move from psychiatric hospitals to community-based care is the goal of policies in many countries. Latvia has attempted to reach this goal by establishing two outpatient centers in Riga. Since 2005, when the first outpatient centers opened, the ability of day clinics to reduce the total length of stay for hospital inpatients has been observed, although using the outpatient centers did not affect the number of patients treated. The open-door inpatient wards of the centers also attracted a new patient group. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and length of stay of both outpatients and inpatients at psychiatric hospitals decreased. Therefore, other factors that can affect the move from psychiatric hospital inpatient care to outpatient centers should be further investigated.
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Edited by: Carolyn Dewa, University of California, Davis, United States
Heinz Katschnige, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Reviewed by: Mario Di Fiorino, Psychiatry of Versilia Hospital, Italy
ISSN:2813-0146
2813-0146
DOI:10.3389/frhs.2024.1348919