Psychiatric hospitalization. I. Comparison of public and private delivery systems.

The effect of financial requirements for admission on the delivery of psychiatric treatment services was studied by comparing all patients admitted to the psychiatric services of a public and a private general hospital, serving geographically similar areas. Patients admitted to these two services (both staffed by the same Department of Psychiatry) were compared in a variety of factors relating to admission determinants, diagnosis, length of hospitalization, and type of treatment. The two patient groups differed in a number offactors, including presenting problems, diagnoses, and.psychological concept of their illnesses. The public hospital patients were less likely to receive somatic treatments (especially psychotropic drugs) and more likely to be hospitalized for longer periods than were the private hospital patients. These findings, although inconclusive because of social class, age, and sex variables, suggest that financial requirements for admission affect the intensity and expeditiousness of the treatment.