Background: Psychiatric case registers have been acknowledged as a valuable source of data, a long time ago. However, a growing interest exists in data on service utilization by patients belonging to groups with a related diagnosis to enable adequate planning of health resources.
Aims: The aims of the Andalusian Case Register for Schizophrenia are to determine the prevalence of schizophrenia of those cared for by the public network of mental health services and to describe their pattern of care.
Methods: Cases included on the Register are those persons resident in South Granada area with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and related disorders. The agencies which sent the information to the Register are all the mental health facilities in the catchment area.
Conclusions: The Register is a flexible instrument to use for epidemiological research and mental health care planning.
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