Abstracts

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of adults admitted to the psychiatric service of a tertiary hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

by Jennifer Jean Williams




Institution: Universidade Nova
Department:
Year: 2017
Keywords: Mental Health; Psychiatric Services; Sociodemographic Characteristics; Middle East; Sade Mental; Servios Psiquitricos; Caractersticas Sociodemogrficas; Mdio Oriente; Cincias Mdicas
Posted: 02/01/2018
Record ID: 2180847
Full text PDF: http://www.rcaap.pt/detail.jsp?id=oai:run.unl.pt:10362/21845


Abstract

Background: While the prevalence of mental disorders continues to increase globally and most mental health services in Abu Dhabi are delivered by the tertiary psychiatric hospital, scant information is available to inform mental health service development in the emirate. This study described the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and discharge dispositions of patients who use this service.Methods: An electronic health record review was conducted on a randomly selected sample (n=285) of patients aged 18 years and older admitted to the psychiatric hospital in Abu Dhabi city from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015. Results: Eighty-seven percent of patients were from Abu Dhabi region, 75.8% were aged 18-34 years and 69.5% were male. The most common discharge diagnoses were mood disorders (29.5%) and psychotic disorders (24.9%), except among Emirati males who were most commonly diagnosed with substance use disorders (48.2%). The psychiatric hospital was most commonly identified as the intended provider of follow-up care (52.6%) and 94% of these patients were scheduled to receive out-patient care delivered by psychiatrists. At least 32.3% of citizens of other countries had discharge plans indicating they required follow-up in their home countries. Conclusions: With the limited resources available to fund mental health services and given that specialized psychiatric hospitals are costly, understanding those who use the specialized psychiatric service in Abu Dhabi is critical to addressing the current and projected treatment gaps. This study informs the development of an effective local model of service delivery that matches best-fit clinicians with service users across a range of services that are humane, effective and sustainable over the long-term. RESUMO: Plano de fundo: Enquanto a prevalncia de transtornos mentais continua a aumentar globalmente e a maioria dos servios de sade mental em Abu Dhabi so disponibilizados pelo hospital psiquitrico tercirio, pouca informao est disponvel para informar o desenvolvimento de servios de sade mental no emirado. Este estudo descreveu as caractersticas sociodemogrficas e clnicas e disposies de alta dos pacientes que utilizam este servio. Mtodos: Uma reviso de registo eletrnico de sade foi realizada em uma amostra selecionada aleatoriamente (n=285) dos pacientes com 18 anos ou mais velhos internados no hospital psiquitrico na cidade de Abu Dhabi, entre 1 de janeiro de 2015 e 31 de dezembro de 2015. Resultados: Oitenta e sete por cento dos pacientes eram da regio de Abu Dhabi, 75,8% tinham uma idade situada entre os 18 e os 34 anos e 69,5% eram do sexo masculino. Os diagnsticos mais comuns eram transtornos do humor (29,5%) e transtornos psicticos (24,9%), exceto entre homens dos Emirados que eram mais frequentemente diagnosticados com transtornos relacionados com o uso de substncias. O hospital psiquitrico foi mais comummente identificado como o provedor pretendido de cuidados de ps-alta (52,6%). Entre estes pacientes, 94% estava programadoAdvisors/Committee Members: Cardoso, Graa.