Schindler B A, Blum D, Malone R
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1988 May;10(3):197-201. doi: 10.1016/0163-8343(88)90019-9.
Intravenous drug abusers with endocarditis present difficult problems in both medical and psychiatric management. A retrospective chart survey revealed that eight of nine such patients with endocarditis signed out against medical advice before antibiotic therapy was completed. Reasons for premature discharge included the patient's underlying psychopathology as well as the emotional response of the staff to these patients. Understanding both of these factors may help to prevent these premature discharges.
