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. 2013;131(6):398-404.
doi: 10.1590/1516-3180.2013.1316598.

Profile of patients attended as psychiatric emergencies at a university general hospital

Vitoria Mantoan Padilha  1 , Carolina Silva Said Schettini  1 , Amilton Santos Junior  1 , Renata Cruz Soares Azevedo  1
Affiliations

Profile of patients attended as psychiatric emergencies at a university general hospital

Vitoria Mantoan Padilha et al. Sao Paulo Med J. 2013.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Context and objective: The prevalence of psychiatric conditions in clinical settings is high, particularly in emergency services. This is a challenge for healthcare professionals and an essential element in the functioning of the mental health network. The objective here was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical profile and the practices among patients treated psychiatrically in the Emergency Unit.

Design and setting: Descriptive and quantitative study, conducted at Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp).

Methods: Sociodemographic data, reasons for attendance, diagnostic hypotheses and practices were analyzed.

Results: Psychiatric staff attended 1,835 cases over the study period, corresponding to 1465 patients. The patients were predominantly women (53.7%) and white (79.6%); their mean age was 37 years and 41.3% lived with their parents. The commonest reasons for attendance were depressive symptoms (28.1%), agitation (23.6%) and problems with psychoactive substances (19.5%). The commonest diagnoses were psychoactive substance-related disorders (23%) and depressive disorders (18.5%). 31.6% of the patients were referred to healthcare centers and 29.2% to specialized outpatient clinics, while 8.2% were hospitalized.

Conclusions: This study emphasizes that it is important for professionals working in emergency service to have information about the patients' profile and the main reasons that lead them to seek psychiatric care, and to establish a diagnosis that will allow proper management at the emergency service and case referral.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO:: A prevalência de quadros psiquiátricos em contextos clínicos é elevada, particularmente em serviços de emergência, representando um desafio para os profissionais da saúde e um elemento essencial no funcionamento da rede de saúde mental. Objetivou-se descrever o perfil sócio-demográfico, clínico e condutas para pacientes atendidos pela psiquiatria na Unidade de Emergência.

TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL:: Estudo descritivo e quantitativo, conduzido no Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp).

MÉTODOS:: Foram analisados dados sócio-demográficos, motivos de atendimento, hipóteses diagnósticas e condutas.

RESULTADOS:: Houve 1.835 atendimentos pela Psiquiatria no período, correspondendo a 1.465 pacientes. Encontrou-se predomínio de mulheres (53,7%), idade média de 37 anos, maioria branca (79,6%); 41,3% moravam com os pais. Os motivos mais frequentes de atendimento foram sintomas depressivos (28,1%), agitação (23,6%) e problemas com substâncias psicoativas (SPA) (19,5%). Os diagnósticos mais frequentes foram transtornos relacionados a SPA (23%) e transtornos depressivos (18,5%). 31,6% dos pacientes foram encaminhados para centros de saúde, 29,2% para ambulatórios especializados e 8,2% foram internados.

CONCLUSÃO:: O estudo reforça a importância de que profissionais que atuem em serviços de emergência tenham informações sobre o perfil, os principais motivos que levam os pacientes a procurar atendimento psiquiátrico, além do estabelecimento de uma hipótese diagnóstica que permita uma adequada conduta no serviço e o seu encaminhamento.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None

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