Effect of length of inpatient treatment for chronic schizophrenia.

Brief hospitalization policies have accompanied the deinstitutionalization movement, yet length of inpatient stay in facilities under state and local administration remains quite varied. A 1-year study of 119 chronic schizophrenic patients hospitalization in New York City between 1977 and 1979 revealed that length of inpatient stay bore no relationship to subsequent hospitalization, treatment compliance, or clinical or social functioning in the community. Rather, a patient's postdischarge experiences with treatment and significant others in the community were critical in determining subsequent use of inpatient services. This finding points to the need for wider application of briefer hospitalization policies for the dischargeable chronic schizophrenic patient.