Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Sep 1;63(9):935-7.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100468.

The impact of critical time intervention in reducing psychiatric rehospitalization after hospital discharge

Andrew Tomita  1 , Daniel B Herman
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The impact of critical time intervention in reducing psychiatric rehospitalization after hospital discharge

Andrew Tomita et al. Psychiatr Serv. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the impact of critical time intervention (CTI) in reducing rehospitalization among formerly homeless individuals with severe and persistent mental illness after discharge from inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Methods: CTI is a nine-month care coordination intervention designed to support persons with severe mental illness in the transition from institutions to community living. After discharge from inpatient psychiatric treatment, 150 previously homeless men and women were randomly assigned to receive either usual services only or CTI in addition to usual services. Study participants were assessed every six weeks for 18 months after entering the community.

Results: At the end of the follow-up period, psychiatric rehospitalization was significantly lower for the group assigned to CTI compared with the usual services group (odds ratio=.11, 95% confidence interval=.01-.96).

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CTI, primarily designed to prevent recurrent homelessness, also reduced the occurrence of rehospitalization after discharge.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of participants in the experimental and control groups who experienced at least one night of psychiatric hospitalization in each interval over the 18-month follow-up period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Cuffel BJ, Held M, Goldman W. Predictive Models and the Effectiveness of Strategies for Improving Outpatient Follow-Up Under Managed Care. Psychiatr Serv. 2002;53:1438–1443. - PubMed
    1. Ilgen MA, Hu KU, Moos RH, et al. Continuing Care After Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment for Patients With Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders. Psychiatr Serv. 2008;59:982–988. - PubMed
    1. Kushel MB, Vittinghoff E, Haas SJ. Factors Associated With the Health Care Utilization of Homeless Persons. JAMA. 2001;285:200–206. - PubMed
    1. Smith TE, Sederer LI. A New Kind of Homelessness for Individuals With Serious Mental Illness? The Need for a “Mental Health Home”. Psychiatr Serv. 2009;60:528–533. - PubMed
    1. Susser E, Valencia E, Conover S, et al. Preventing recurrent homelessness among mentally ill men: a “critical time” intervention after discharge from a shelter. American Journal of Public Health. 1997;87:256–262. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types