The value and cost-effectiveness of a home-visiting programme for psychiatric patients.

The high rate of readmissions to psychiatric hospitals constitutes a considerable problem. An attempt to reduce these by a controlled standard home-visiting procedure was carried out for 51 consecutive patients at Valkenberg Hospital, Cape Town. Readmissions were reduced by 31.5% over 1 year and the number of days in hospital by 55.6% from 3714 to 1850 days. Attendance at outpatient clinics also improved by 39%. The cost-effectiveness of this programme was also demonstrated; there was a saving of approximately R786 per patient over the year.