Patterns of referrals to consultation-liaison psychiatry in a tertiary care hospital in Oman

Abstract EN

ackground: Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry emerged to integrate mental health with mainstream medicine.

The growing and accumulative evidence in this field supports C-L psychiatry as a cost-effective service for shortening the length of hospital stays in addition to early detection and treatment of mental illnesses.

Objective: The current study is the first in the Sultanate of Oman to review all patterns of referrals to the C-L team from various in-patient departments at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

Methods: All patients referred from the medical and surgical wards from May 2015 to December 2015 were evaluated for inclusion to the study.

Data collection recorded patient demographics, reason for admission, and presence of medical or surgical co-morbidity, reason for referral to C-L psychiatry and whether psychiatric diagnosis presented prior to referral.

Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.

Results: N=104 patients were referred to C-L psychiatry over the indicated period of the study.

The majority of referrals were from the acute medicine unit (32.7%), neurology unit (15.4%) and surgery department (9.6%).

The most common reasons for referral were depressed mood (28.8%) and abnormal behavior (24%).

Major depressive disorder (30.8%) was the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder followed by substance use disorder (8.7%).

Conclusion: C-L psychiatry is an important utility for general hospitals to ensure high-standard quality of care is provided to patients.

Additionally, C-L psychiatrists should play a significant role in sensitizing other health professionals toward detecting early signs of mental disorders