Follow-up that reduces hospital readmissions of people with chronic mental illness.

From the literature, four principles of effective follow-up of people with chronic mental illness after their discharge from hospital were identified. A retrospective audit of types of follow-up was then conducted using the records of the follow-up and hospital readmissions of 133 people discharged from a public, rural, psychiatric hospital with diagnoses of mental illness. The study found that people whose care incorporated all four principles of effective follow-up were significantly less likely to be readmitted to hospital than people whose care was not based on all four principles. Evidence indicated that neither diagnosis nor illness severity significantly affected readmission rates. The study provides a framework for the optimal nursing care of people in the community with chronic mental illness.