Psychiatric consultation for gariatric inpatients in Siriraj's hospital in 2006-2007

Abstract

Abstract
Objective: To study significant clinical characteristics in geriatric inpatients who were consulted to psychiatric consultation-liaison unit, psychiatric department, faculty of medicine Siriraj hospital.
Method: This study was a descriptive retrospective study in geriatric inpatients who were consulted to psychiatric consultation-liaison unit, psychiatry department from 1st January 2006 to 31th December 2007. Data from the patientsû record form of the psychiatric consultation-liaison unit were recorded.
Results: There were 644 / 1,895 (33.98%) elderly inpatients (age>60 years) consulted to psychiatric consultation-liaison unit in 2 years of the study. The most common psychiatric diagnosis was delirium (52.5 %), the second common diagnosis was major depressive disorder (11.3%) followed by dementia (9.0%). The most elderly (64.8%) had multiple medical conditions (more than 1 diagnosis of axis III). Especially, the delirium patients had multiple medical conditions as high as 68.1%. Most of patients (50.9%) received both medication and psycho-social intervention. The major result of treatment was improvement (66.0%).
Conclusion: The elderly patients were found approximately one-thrid of inpatients who were consulted to psychiatric consultation-liaison unit. We found that the most common psychiatric diagnosis was delirium (52.5%) and most of them had more likely to have multiple
medical conditions. Treatment in all aspects of bio-psycho-social is important, including giving psychoeducation to patients and their caregivers.