Hospitalization in the first year of treatment for schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE To determine the rates of hospitalization during the first year of treatment for schizophrenia, using an epidemiologic sample. METHOD We examined inpatient and outpatient administrative databases in the province of Nova Scotia for cases of schizophrenia (ICD-9 code 295 or 298) newly diagnosed during the years 1995 to 1998. We noted the diagnosis site (that is, inpatient or outpatient) and hospitalizations in the year following diagnosis. We also established links to the clinical database maintained by the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP). RESULTS Over the 4-year period, we identified 434 unique cases from an at-risk population of 320,000 (yielding a yearly average age-specific incidence rate of 3.3/10,000), of whom 119 had received care from the NSEPP. Of the cases, 54% were initially diagnosed while they were inpatients. In the year following diagnosis, the overall hospitalization rate, excluding initial hospitalizations, was 17%. Patients who were initially diagnosed while inpatients had a higher rate of hospitalization in the first year of treatment (25% vs 7%), compared with those initially diagnosed while outpatients. This relation was also present among patients who received care from the NSEPP. CONCLUSIONS Of newly diagnosed patients with schizophrenia, 46% were not hospitalized at the time of initial diagnosis. Of all patients, 17% required hospitalization during the first year of treatment, excluding an initial hospitalization, if present. Hospitalization rates in the first year were higher among patients initially hospitalized and among those with a rural residence. Patients requiring hospitalization during the first year form an important target group for improved interventions.