The nature and effectiveness of general hospital psychiatric services.

Inpatient psychiatric episodes in general hospitals represented 58% of the total for the United States by the end of the 1970s. Given this growth, recent studies of the nature and effectiveness of general hospital psychiatric care are reviewed. Surprisingly, the data base continues to be largely descriptive rather than experimental. Evidence is particularly needed about the relative clinical and cost-effectiveness of general hospital treatment vis-a-vis that of other inpatient and community alternatives. Future research must also consider the effect of a general hospital's organizational characteristics upon the manner in which it structures and delivers psychiatric care.