The assessment and progress of long-stay and elderly psychiatric patients: the predictive validity of a ward behaviour questionnaire.

This paper describes an attempt to validate a behaviour rating scale used to predict the likelihood of discharge among elderly and long-stay patients in a psychiatric hospital. The scale measured behaviour on the ward as rated by nursing staff. The scale was a sensitive predictor of discharge among those with a low score (indicating least disability), except for patients with organic psychoses. However, many patients with low scores were not discharged. In order to improve the scale's use as a screening technique additional information was considered. The significance of the findings is discussed.