The Study: Patient Population at a Glance

The average age of patients in the psychiatric home health care study conducted by Western New York Staff Builders in Buffalo was 10 years, with an age range between 6 and 17 years. Other characteristics of study participants include:

4 The majority of the patients, 83%, were male.

4 Nearly 60% of patients were referred to the RESTORE program following inpatient discharge where the average length of stay was 15 days.

4 The remaining 41% of patients were referred by psychiatrists who were either changing a patient’s medication regime, attempting to prevent hospitalization, or requesting implementation of a behavioral plan for the patient in the home setting.

4 Prior to admission to the RESTORE program, 83% of patients had been hospitalized an average of 1.6 times.

4 Nearly 40% of patients had two or more inpatient hospitalizations in their lifetime.

4 Patients in the sample group all had Axis I disorders defined by DSM IV-R, with 70% diagnosed with two or more Axis I disorders.

4 The average length of stay in home care was 35.5 days.

4 The average number of nursing visits per patient was 10.5.

The breakdown of the Axis I diagnoses and the average number of visits per diagnosis are:

Diagnosis Percent # Visits

Intermittent explosive disorder 24% (n=13) 12

Attention deficit disorders 16% (n=9) 8

Major depression 15% (n=8) 11

Oppositional defiance disorder 15% (n=8) 15

Conduct disorder 5% (n=3) 4

Anxiety NOS 5% (n=3) 9

Acute Psychosis NOS 4% (n=2) 12

Post traumatic stress disorder 4% (n=2) 14

Adjustment disorder 4% (n=2) 8

Schizophrenia 2% (n=1) 8

Bipolar disorder 2% (n=1) 9

Dysthymia 2% (n=1) 1

Impulse control disorder 2% (n=1) 7