The use of state and general hospitals for inpatient psychiatric care

Objectives. This paper explores the relationship of state hospital and general hospital psychiatric caseloads in a statewide system of care. Methods. Probabilistic population estimation was applied to general hospital and state hospital data sets. Results. General hospitals provide inpatient psychiatric Services to more people than do state hospitals, and a significant number are served in both sectors. There were notable differences in use patterns related to patient gender and age. Conclusions. These results demonstrate that probabilistic methodologies cap Significantly enhance the value of existing databases for epidemiological research.