Hospital indicators by Regional Communities, 1980-2004 (Longitudinal analysis of morbidity indicators and hospital staffing in mental health).

INTRODUCTION Comparative analysis by Spanish Regional Communities (RC) of indicators related to morbidity and staffing in psychiatric care hospital over a period of time (1980-2004) marked by the initiation and development of deinstitutionalization policies and handover of powers to RC. METHODOLOGY Longitudinal study. Descriptive analysis of variables, broken down by RC, related to psychiatric morbidity (ICD-9, codes 290-319) and indicators of hospital staffing over a 25-year period. DATABASE SOURCE: Hospital Morbidity Survey, 1980-2004 and Statistics for care facilities providing in-patient care regime, 1980-2004. RESULTS Differences between Regional Communities are substantial in all the analyzed variables: discharges, total and average stay, total and initial consultations, rate of psychiatrists in hospital care, number of beds and psychiatric hospitals. For all the Regional Communities as a whole, an increase is observed in hospital discharges, decrease of total and mean stays, notable increase of consultations, little increase in psychiatric staff in hospital care and stagnation in the decline of psychiatric hospitals and beds in operation in psychiatric hospital during the last period of time series and low increase in beds for the hospitals that are not classified as a psychiatric hospital. CONCLUSIONS We found evidence of qualitatively different care models between Regional Communities and substantial changes in major indicators over time series.