Publication: Non-psychiatric Referral among First Encounter Patients Attending the Psychiatry Out Patient Services of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nepal Medical Association
Abstract
Abstract:
Introduction: Pathway of psychiatric care is defined as the sequence of contacts with individuals and organizations initiated by the distressed person’s efforts and his significant others to seek appropriate health care. This study aimed to find the prevalence of non-psychiatric referral as first encounter among patients attending the psychiatry outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from 29th March 2015 to 25th April 2015 in the outpatient department of the department of psychiatry of a tertiary via direct interview using the World Health Organization’s encounter form. Ethical approval was taken from undergraduate medical research protocol review board (Reference number 105/071/072). Psychiatric diagnoses were made by respective consultants using the International Classification of Diseases-10 Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines criteria. Data was entered in the Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed by Stata version 15. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data.
Results: Out of 50 patients, 26 (52%) (38.2-65.8 at 95% Confidence Interval) of new cases in the outpatient department had non-psychiatric referrals. Among them, 13 (26%) referred from faith healers, 7 (14%) from the general hospital and 6 (12%) from medical out patient department.
Conclusions: The prevalence of non-psychiatric referral for the patients seen for the first time in the psychiatry outpatient department was similar to findings from studies done in different parts of South East Asia.
Description
Grishma Pokharel
Melamchi Primary Health Care Clinic, Melamchi, Sindupalchok, Nepal
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4884-4689
Madhur Basnet
Department of Psychiatry, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9624-0321
Sagar Poudel
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Naresh Kafle
Waling Primary Health Care Center, Waling, Syangja, Nepal
Rahul Kumar Jaiswal
Department of Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
Sunil Bogati
Kolhabi Primary Health Care Clinic, Kolhabi, Bara, Nepal
Indira Ojha
Bulingtar Primary Health Care Center, Bulingtar, Nawalparasi, Nepal
Dipesh Soni
Department of Internal Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Keywords
faith healing, psychiatry, referral