the relationship between outpatient visits and time to readmission of psychiatric inpatients: an 8-year follow-up study

Introduction: readmission is an important indicator of poor post-discharge management for psychiatric patients. this study explores the factors influencing psychiatric patient readmission, with a focus on post-discharge follow-up visits.materials & methods: this retrospective cohort study analyzed the clinical records of psychiatric inpatients over an eight-year period up to 2019. the relationship between various clinical factors during hospitalization (e.g., length of stay, diagnosis, treatment adherence) and post-discharge follow-up leading to readmission was assessed using kaplan-meier survival analysis, log-rank test, and cox regression analysis.results:  the study revealed a 23% readmission rate. gender, education, length of hospital stay, number of previous hospitalizations, and restraint during hospitalization showed significant associations with post-discharge visits (p < 0.05). gender, place of hospitalization, and type of discharge were related to the timing of the first post-discharge visit (p < 0.05). scheduling follow-up visits at discharge was significantly associated with post-discharge follow-up (p = 0.001).conclusion:  to reduce or delay readmissions, the study recommends increasing post-discharge visits, minimizing treating psychiatrists, scheduling outpatient follow-up upon discharge, providing psycho-education at discharge (particularly for women and individuals with higher education), addressing patients who leave against medical advice, and conducting telephone follow-up for high-risk patients.