The Attitudes of Medical Inpatients toward Psychiatric Consultation: A Re-Examination

Abstract

Objective:

Several surveys from twenty to thirty years ago demonstrated that approximately 80 percent of patients were readily accepting of psychiatric consultation. The aim of this study was to re-examine whether medical inpatient attitudes toward psychiatric consultation have changed in the past twenty-five years and whether the type of psychiatric disorder affects the attitude toward consultation.

Method:

Forty-eight medical inpatients seen in psychiatric consultation consented to answering a questionnaire pre- and post-consultation to assess their attitudes to this intervention. Chi-square and t-tests were used to determine statistically significant differences between the “before” and “after” consultation groups.

Results:

Eight-one percent stated they would be moderately, to very, agreeable to psychiatric consultation if their primary care doctor felt it was indicted. Sixty-seven percent claimed not to have been informed beforehand that a psychiatric consultation was requested. Only 8 percent of patients were disinterested in having the consultation. Psychiatric diagnosis (primary vs. organic) and the attitude toward psychiatric consultation were not significantly related.

Conclusions:

Our results show little change in attitude over the past twenty-five years and support earlier studies that show medical inpatients are generally accepting of psychiatric consultation, that consultation does not pose a threat to the doctor-patient relationship, and that careful preparation of the patient by the primary care provider can improve patients' attitudes toward the consultation.