Was it a good move? Improvement in quality of life among chronic mental patients moving from a mental hospital to a hostel in the community

Roberto Umansky, Marianne Amir, Monica Fridmann, Esther Zidon, Dafna Chen, Boris Nemetz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background. This study examined whether transition from hospital to hostel improves patients' quality of life (QOL). Method. In a longitudinal prospective study comparing the QOL of 16 patients who moved to a hostel with that of 20 who remained hospitalized, we posited that the former would exhibit improved QOL. We also assessed the reliability of psychiatric patients' reports by comparing them with staff reports. Results. No changes were reported in the QOL of hospitalized patients, whereas those who moved to the hostel exhibited significant improvement in all aspects of life, as reflected in the World Health Organizations Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL-BREF), reports by patients and staff and subjective (but not objective) indicators in the TL30s questionnaire. Patients' reports reflect a higher QOL improvement than staff reports but both display similar trends regarding changes in QOL. Conclusions. It was concluded that the move from the hospital to the hostel improved the QOL of the patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)248-257
Number of pages10
JournalIsrael Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences
Volume40
Issue number4
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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