Treatment dropout at a secondary mental health service

• Published in: Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy Vol. 34; no. 4; p. 207
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Mário Sérgio, Júnior, José Cândido Caldeira Xavier, Mascarenhas, Tiago Rodrigues, Silva, Priscila Matthiesen, Vieira, Eveline Maria de Melo, Ribeiro, Luiz Cláudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Porto Alegre Associação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul - Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 2012; Associação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul
• Subjects: PSYCHIATRY; quality of health care; Patient dropouts; atenção secundária; mental health; saúde mental; qualidade da assistência à saúde; secondary health care; Abandono do tratamento
• ISSN: 2238-0019; 2238-0019
• DOI: 10.1590/S2237-60892012000400006

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mental health dropout rates in secondary care and to identify possible associations between this variable and social, demographic, psychopathologic, and health care process-related variables. METHOD: This prospective, observational study included 994 patients referred to a secondary service by four primary care units and evaluated by a specialist mental health team between 2004 and 2008. The dependent variable was treatment dropout. Bivariate analyses investigated possible associations between treatment dropout and 57 independent variables. RESULTS: The overall dropout rate from specialist mental health treatment was relatively low (mean = 25.6%). Only four independent variables were associated with dropout: one socioeconomic, two psychopathological, and one health care process variable. All associations were marginally significant (p < 0.1). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that family members, patients, and health care professionals are well engaged in this mental health care system based on a model of primary care. The use of this mental health model of care should be extended to other regions of our country.