Length of hospitalisation for people with severe mental illness: is the longer the better? Commentary on… Cochrane Corner

Abstract

The Cochrane review in this month’s Cochrane Corner (Babalola 2014) compares short-stay hospital admission to long-stay/standard admission in patients with severe mental illness for a number of outcomes in a total 2030 participants from 6 randomised trials. It reached a conclusion supported by limited evidence that short admissions in mental health units does not increase the risk of death, readmission, or worsening of mental state, and poses less risk of delayed discharge and patient’s unemployment. This Round the Corner commentary examines the available evidence from previous studies and discusses its relevance to current practice.