Recovery-oriented inpatient mental health care and readmission

Abstract

Objective: This article examines the relationship between inpatient mental health units' adherence to recovery-oriented care and 30-day patient readmission.

Method: The sample included patients admitted to one of 34 Veterans Health Administration inpatient mental health units. Recovery-oriented care was assessed using interviews and site visits. Patient characteristics and readmission data were derived from administrative data.

Findings: Overall recovery orientation was not associated with readmission. Exploratory analyses found higher scores on a subsample of items pertaining to inpatient therapeutic programming were associated with lower patient readmissions. Additionally, patients with more prior service use and substance abuse or personality disorders were more likely to be readmitted.

Conclusions and implications for practice: A growing body of literature supports the association between psychotherapeutic services in inpatient units and better patient outcomes. However, further research is needed to examine this association. More work is needed to develop appropriate psychotherapy services for the inpatient setting and support their implementation.