Fewer beds and shorter stays

The average hospitalization time in psychiatric institutions was 72 days last year, down six days from the previous year. The reduction is because of shorter stays and more discharges, particularly outside mental hospitas, in residental and treatment homes, and after-care homes. During the same period the number of beds at all psychiatric institutions was reduced by 205.

The average stay in psychiatric institutions has dropped considerably since 1980, when it was 191 days. The reduction is the result of the authorities' express objective of replacing in-patient care in psychiatric institutions with outpatient and other daycare. The process of reducing the number of beds in psychiatric institutions therefore continued in 1997. At 31 December, the number of beds stood at 6,368, against 6,573 in 1996. There were 15 beds per 10,000 inhabitants in 1996, while the ratio dropped to 14.4 in 1997.

Adult psychiatric institutions outside hospitals and clinics lost the most beds while psychiatric institutions for children and adolescents saw an eight-bed increase from 1996 to 1997. The number of beds remained stable at mental hospitals, clinics and psychiatric wards in somatic hospitals. Troms, Sogn og Fjordane and Finnmark reported the greatest percentage decline in beds. Some counties added beds.

40,000 fewer bed days

Stays in psychiatric institutions amounted to less than 2.1 million bed days in 1997, nearly 40,000 less than in 1996. Psychiatric institutions for children and adolescents accounted for 77,500 days and adult psychiatric institutions for just under two million. The decrease in the number of days in 1997 is due to shorter stays in mental hospitals, residential and treatment homes, after-care homes and other adult psychiatric institutions outside hospitals. On the other hand, the number of stays increased in hospital wards, clinics and psychiatric institutions for children and adolescents.

Psychiatric institutions made nearly 28,800 discharges following in-patient care in 1997, or 65.1 per 10,000 inhabitants. In 1996, there were 27,100 discharges from such institutions, 61.8 per 10,000 inhabitants. Average number of discharges per bed was 4.5 in psychiatry.

New Statistics
Specialist health services, psychiatry, 1997.
The statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information, contact: Borgny.Vold@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 45 42.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 43, 1998