APM task force on psychosocial interventions in the general hospital inpatient setting. A review of cost-offset studies.

Several investigations of interventions with psychiatric and medical comorbidity (CM) in the medical inpatient setting have been reported. These studies include psychiatric liaison screening and interventions, psychosocial screening, and standard consultation. The studies had a variety of outcome variables: 1) altered psychiatric morbidity; 2) lag time to identification of CM; 3) lag time to referring to mental health disciplines; 4) cost offset; and 5) discharge placement. Methodological and design problems confound many of the results, in particular, the lack of random control procedures. However, similarity of findings of the frequency of CM in the inpatient setting and patient response to early detection and treatment should stimulate further research into the effects of psychiatric interventions in the acute inpatient medical setting.