Somatic comorbidity of patients attending a mental health unit studying their consultation to an emergency department in the previous year

Abstract

IntroductionIt is interesting to note somatic comorbidity of psychiatric patients that attend an outpatient Mental Health Unit (MHU). In medical literature there are few studies that reflect which diseases make these patients go to an Emergency Room (ER).ObjectivesTo determine the percentage of patients presenting to an ER in the year prior to psychiatric consultation in a MHU, noting which is the most common assitance and the differences regarding sex, age and marital status.MethodsRetrospective and descriptive study of ER assistances at the Hospital Clínico de Santiago in the previous year of patients attending our MHU. Time period: from February 1st 2010 to August 31th 2010. Once collected the data, these are analyzed using the Excel 2008 Statistical Package for Mac.ResultsFrom 577 patients studied (68.3% women), 224 had gone at least once to the ER in the last year (72.3% women): 19.6% consulted for psychiatric conditions and 80.4% for somatic causes. Among the predominant somatic complaints we found musculoskeletal causes (24.4%), cardiovascular (8.8%), respiratory (9.4%) and gynecological (2.7%). 3% of them were hospitalized in medical or surgical services and 3% in psychiatric units. There was not statistically significant differences regarding their age. Married and divorced patients went to the ER more than bachelors or widowers.ConclusionsProfile of the studied patient: “Woman, 53 years old, married, user of an outpatient MHU and that has consulted at least once in the last year to an ER due to musculoeskeletal cause.”