M.Med.(Psychiatry), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / AIM: To study the process of handing over custody by South African Police Service
(SAPS) of suspected mentally ill patients at Chris Hani Baragwaneth Hospital (CHBH)
and the outcome of such patients.
METHODS: The study was a retrospective record review of patients, 18 years and
older, referred by SAPS to the Emergency Department at CHBH. Completed MHCA
Form 22, during the period July 2007 to December 2007, were obtained from the
hospital records. The forms were analysed to determine the compliance of SAPS and
the medical practitioners in completing these forms. Demographics and clinical
characteristics, and the final outcome of the study population were obtained from the
hospital notes.
RESULTS: During the study period, 708 of the 718 patients handed over by SAPS to
the emergency department of CHBH had Form 22’s, 579 (81.78%) of the patients
were males. The majority of patients were between the age 26 - 50 years (65.39%);
unemployed (80.23%), achieved a Grade 10 or lower level of education (55.65%)
and were single (84.32%). 378 (53.39%) patients had previously abused substances,
47 (6.64%) had a forensic history and 552 (77.97%) had a past psychiatric illness.
SAPS officials had correctly completed 86.16% of the forms, whilst the medical
practitioners had only correctly completed 9.89% of the forms. Of the 718 patients
handed over by SAPS and admitted to the medical admissions ward, 319 (44.06%)
were discharged for outpatient care, whilst only 272 (38.42%) were admitted to the
psychiatric ward for further inpatient psychiatric care and 102 (14.41%) admitted to
the medical wards for further inpatient medical care.
CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the SAPS are better at complying with the
regulations of the Mental Health Care Act as compared to the health care
professionals in the emergency department of CHBH. It is recommended that
improved assessment at the emergency department would reduce the number of
admissions and costs to the already resource constrained hospital.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/7446 |
| Date | 13 November 2009 |
| Creators | Jonsson, Gregory Wayne |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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