Scheduled brief admissions: patient "tuneups".

1. Incorporating brief, planned admissions into the treatment plan of chronically mentally disabled patients has demonstrated positive outcomes related to health care services, as well as to the patients' perceptions of their own health status. 2. A comparison of the "Tuneup" program before and since its inception showed that, while the number of patient hospitalizations increased, the patients' length of stay, amount of unplanned hospitalizations, and cost decreased significantly during this period. 3. The chronically mentally ill are a population at risk for a variety of hardships, including rehospitalization, social isolation, homelessness, and even death. Psychiatric nurses who understand the needs of these persons can serve as a vital force in mental health care reform.