Avaliação da assistência hospitalar e ambulatorial no centro psiquiátrico de referência do município de Manaus em 2008

Abstract

The study s objective was to evaluate both inpatient and outpatient mental health care throughout the public health system in the city of Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil, from the user s perspective of the assistance provided by the main psyquiatric hospital in the city. The subjects of this prospective, exploratory and quantitative study were patients admitted to brief psychiatric hospitalization between july the 1st and august the 31st of 2008, who were mentally able to answer the questionnaires, with mental illness for more than a month and willing to participating. The research happened in two different stages: upon their releases from hospital and 30 (thirty) days afterwards. The protocols consisted of closed questions concerning inpatient and outpatient mental health assistance, based on the legal regulations: Portaria 224/MS and Portaria 336/MS. The average age of the participants was 35 years old. The least of them (31%) were married and women (59%) lightly prevailed over men. As to schooling, 87% of the interviewed have never gone to high school. Forty three percent of the patients were undertaking psychiatric treatment for over 10 years and 68% of the total has 4 hospitalizations or more. The average hospitalization period was 13 days. Patients got to the hospital by themselves in 48% of the times, followed by the public emergency mobile transport (31%). All patients were consulted by a physician during hospitalization, while 45% were attended by a psychologist, 31% by social worker and 25% had group therapy. Most of the participants (55%) had no leisure and approved of the flavor and variety of food (69%), as well as the cleaning and organization of the hospital (89%). Receptionists and security personnel were the professionals worse evaluated concerning how polite they were, adding, each, 10% of unsatisfied and very unsatisfied answers. The professionals who consulted more frequently the outpatients were the physicians (41%), followed by group therapy (22%). Technicians who consulted fewer patients were both psychologists and social workers, who attended 4% of outpatients, each one. No participant had home care. Sixty two percent reported being satisfied with the relationship between them and mental health care staff, 30% of the patients complained about the access to mental health assistance and 57% received a social benefit. Those results showed high index of psychiatric readmission, possibly due to the absence of a mental health assistance network in the city. It was also registered direct relationship between the technical level of the staff and user s satisfaction concerning their education. It was found that both inpatients and outpatients did not have multiprofessional assistance. One third of the patients disapproved of the access to hospital care, mainly because of the difficulties on getting consulted. The fact that almost two thirds of the patients were receiving any sort of social benefic could be a result of the failure of adequate mental health care. Although inpatient and outpatient were not receiving quality and quantity adequate assistance, 87% of them would recommend the psychiatric hospital to a relative or a friend, thus recognizing its role in the transition process from a hospital-focused mental health care and a substitute one.