Effectiveness of a Community-Based Intensive Case Management Model on Reducing Hospitalization for People With Severe Mental Illness in Seoul

Objective To overcome the limited effectiveness of standard case management services, the Seoul Intensive Case Management program (S-ICM) for patients with serious mental illnesses was introduced in 2017. This study aimed to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing the length of hospital stay. Methods Monitoring data from April 2019 to March 2020 were retrieved from the Seoul Mental Health Welfare Center. A total of 759 participants with serious mental illnesses were included. The average length of admission per month was compared between the pre-ICM (previous year) and during-ICM periods. For post-ICM observation subgroup, average length of admission per month was compared between pre-ICM, during-ICM, and post-ICM periods. To determine the relative contributions of risk factors for during-ICM and post-ICM admission, multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results The average admission stay for pre-ICM period was significantly longer than that for during-ICM period (1.47 vs. 0.26 days). Among the predictors for during-ICM admission, pre-ICM psychiatric admission was the most important risk factor, followed by medical aid beneficiary and suicidal behavior. In the subgroup analysis of the post-ICM observation period, the pre-ICM, during-ICM, and post-ICM average admission stays were 1.45, 0.29, and 0.57 days/month, respectively. There was a significant difference in the average length of stay between the pre-ICM and during-ICM periods and between the pre-ICM and post-ICM periods. Post-ICM admission risks included pre-ICM admission, S-ICM duration <3 months, and chronic unstable symptoms. Conclusion The results suggest that the S-ICM effectively reduces psychiatric hospitalization duration, at least over a short-term period.