The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: 170-177. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.105.020636
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Characteristics and activities of acute psychiatric in-patient facilities: national survey in Italy

GIOVANNI DE GIROLAMO

Department of Mental Health, AUS di Bologna, Bologna and Regional Health Care Agency, Emilia-Romagna Region, Bologna

ANGELO BARBATO

Mario Negri Institute, Milan

RENATA BRACCO

Department of Mental Health, ASL Triestina, Trieste

ANDREA GADDINI

Agenzia di Sanità Pubblica Regione Lazio, Rome

ROSSELLA MIGLIO

Faculty of Statistics, University of Bologna, Bologna

PIERLUIGI MOROSINI

National Institute of Health, Rome

BRUNO NORCIO

Department of Mental Health, ASL Triestina, Trieste

ANGELO PICARDI

National Institute of Health, Rome

ELISABETTA ROSSI

Department of Mental Health, ASL di Perugia, Perugia, Italy

PAOLA RUCCI

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

GIOVANNI SANTONE

Psychiatric Clinic, United Hospitals of Ancona and Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona

GIUSEPPE DELL’ACQUA

Department of Mental Health, ASL Triestina, Trieste, Italy

the PROGRES—Acute group

Correspondence: Dr Giovanni de Girolamo, Department of Mental Health, AUSL di Bologna, Viale Pepoli 5, 40123 Bologna, Italy. Tel.: +39 051 658 4204; fax: +39 051 658 4244; email: giovanni.degirolamo{at}ausl.bologna.it

Declaration of interest None.

Background Legislation in 1978 led to the gradual replacement of mental hospitals in Italy with a full range of community-based services, including facilities for acute in-patient care.

Aims To survey the main characteristics of Italian public and private in-patient facilities for acute psychiatric disorders.

Method Structured interviews were conducted with each facility’s head psychiatrist in all Italian regions, with the exception of Sicily.

Results Overall, Italy (except Sicily) has a total of 4108 public in-patient beds in 319 facilities, with 0.78 beds for every 10 000 inhabitants, and 4862 beds in 54 private in-patient facilities, with 0.94 beds per 10 000 inhabitants. In 2001 the rates of psychiatric admissions and admitted patients per 10 000 inhabitants were 26.7 and 17.8 respectively. In the same year the percentage of involuntary admissions was 12.9%, for a total of 114 570 hospital days. Many in-patient facilities showed significant limitations in terms of architectural and logistic characteristics. Staffing showed a great variability among facilities.

Conclusions The overall number of acute beds per 10 000 inhabitants is one of the lowest in Europe. The survey has provided evidence of two parallel systems of in-patient care, a public one and a private one, which are not fully interchangeable.


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A. Gaddini, L. Biscaglia, R. Bracco, G. de Girolamo, R. Miglio, B. Norcio, E. Rossi, P. Rucci, and G. Santone
Focus on Mental Health Care Reforms in Europe: A One-Day Census of Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Facilities in Italy: Findings From the PROGRES-Acute Project
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[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]