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PSYCHIATRIC CONSULTATIONS IN A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Author(s) -
Tiller J. W. G.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1978.tb141946.x
Subject(s) - medicine , referral , psychosocial , pediatrics , medical record , psychiatry , emergency medicine , family medicine , surgery
One hundred and ninety‐one consecutive psychiatric referrals from the medical and surgical wards of a children's hospital were studied. The referral rate approximated 2% of admission rate, and patients who were referred stayed in hospital longer than three times the average stay for all inpatients. The hospital's medical units supplied 69% of referrals and the rest came from the surgical units. The male to female ratio of admissions to hospital was 3: 2, but that of referrals was 1: 1 (a significant difference (P<0·02)). Main diagnostic categories for patients under one year of age were congenital and metabolic dosorders (35%), and psychosocial problems which included maltreatment and children at risk (58%). The records for patients between one and 14 years of age imply that over 50% of them had family social problems or behaviour disorder. Of patients over 14 years of age, 93% had affective disorder.