Grant: Project Grant

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects roughly 1% of the population. It is one of the most disabling disorders worldwide, with symptoms affecting behaviours and thoughts. Individuals with schizophrenia often experience poor health and early death and have ongoing high healthcare needs. Many individuals with schizophrenia will, at times, require care in the hospital to support their mental health, safety, and well-being. Despite this, we have little evidence on what care is delivered to individuals with schizophrenia in hospitals. We lack information on the types of care they are receiving, what outcomes they experience, and how their care impacts their outcomes before and after discharge. This knowledge gap is limiting our ability to develop effective and equitable inpatient treatment strategies. In this project, we will examine healthcare provided to patients with schizophrenia admitted to inpatient psychiatric beds in Ontario. We will first investigate how characteristics of care vary between patients and institutions. Similarly, we will examine how in-hospital and post-discharge outcomes vary between groups. Finally, we will evaluate what aspects of in-hospital psychiatric care are associated with in-hospital and post-discharge outcomes. Together, the results of this study will allow us to understand current differences in care and how those differences may be contributing to less-than-optimal patient outcomes. The evidence created through this project will inform future work to establish best practices for schizophrenia inpatient care in Ontario and inform health system planning and policy to support this vulnerable population.