Liaison psychiatry in low & middle income countries: Experiences at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan

Document Type

Article

Department

Psychiatry

Abstract

Aims and methods: Our study investigated the pattern of referrals made to psychiatric services from the general wards of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). Data on all cases referred between years 2015 to 2016 was collected retrospectively from the medical records. Information included socio-demographic details, reason for referral, past psychiatric history, treatment, management suggested and outcome of referral. SPSS version 19.0 was used for data entry and analyzing.
Results: During the study period 1166 cases were referred for psychiatric consultations of which 995 were analyzed. The results show an almost equal distribution of females and males. Most referrals were from Internal Medicine. The most common reason for referral was behavioral problem and the most common psychiatric diagnosis made was delirium.
Clinical Implications: Review of the service has identified areas that need improvement such as late referrals, problems with documentation, and issues in following through with the recommended management and will help us improve the existing services.

Comments

Issue, and pagination are not provided by the author/publisher

Publication (Name of Journal)

Asian Journal of Psychiatry

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS