Original Research

Characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to the first psychiatric intensive care unit in Egypt

Tarek A. Okasha, Walaa M. Sabry, Nivert H. Zaki, Menan A. Rabie, Yomna A. Elhawary
South African Journal of Psychiatry | Vol 27 | a1527 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1527 | © 2021 Tarek A. Okasha, Walaa M. Sabry, Nivert H. Zaki, Menan A. Rabie, Yomna A. Elhawary | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 22 February 2020 | Published: 18 March 2021

About the author(s)

Tarek A. Okasha, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Walaa M. Sabry, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Nivert H. Zaki, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Menan A. Rabie, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Yomna A. Elhawary, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) have become an essential part of psychiatric hospital design worldwide, there are few published data about their effectiveness.

Aim: In this study, the characteristics and outcomes of 50 Egyptian patients admitted to the first PICU in the Middle East region between April 2015 and October 2018 were retrospectively examined.

Setting: The study was conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University.

Methods: Data on patients in PICU at the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University, were collected retrospectively and analysed and included information on previous psychiatric contact, diagnoses, causes of admission and outcomes. Continuous and categorical variables were subjected to statistical analyses.

Results: The majority of patients in PICU were of female gender, having a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The most common reason for admission to the PICU is the management of delirium, followed by catatonia. The average length of patients’ stays in PICU ranged from half a day to 16 days. Immediate outcome differed where the majority of patients (47 patients, 94%) were discharged to the inpatient psychiatric ward.

Conclusion: This study reviewed practice in the first PICU in Cairo, Egypt, over 3 years, showing the importance of ongoing evaluations of patient populations in providing the best clinical practice; the typical PICU patient is likely to be: female, suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder (BAD). The most common reason for PICU admission is for the management of delirium followed by catatonia.


Keywords

psychiatric units; intensive care; outcomes; demographic-characteristics; psychiatric intensive care units

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