Psychiatry 2021
Adult psychiatry (AP)
The annual reviews record patients’ impairment due to physical and psychological symptoms (symptomatology) as well as the extent of freedom-restricting coercive measures (FMs). The quality review published in 2021 (data year 2020) revealed an average decrease in symptomatology between admission and discharge in all institutes, confirming the effectiveness of psychiatric treatments. The trend of a slight increase in rate of admissions persisted. The proportion of cases involving at least one FM increased by one percentage point compared to the preceding year. Since involuntary isolations for infectious/somatic reasons were incorporated into the FM data as well, the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to this increase.
The review was based on a larger dataset than in previous years. For the first time, inpatient treatments lasting between one and seven days were also taken into account (short stays). This addition lends the results additional significance.
Link to press release
Link to infographic
Child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP)
The 2020 quality reviews for CAP are similar in nature to those for AP. In all institutes, symptomatology decreased during stays while the number of admissions rose slightly. The proportion of cases with at least one FM was even lower than that of the preceding year. As was the case for AP short stays, CAP short stays of between one and seven days were taken into account for the first time.
Link to press release
Link to infographic
Pilot project in intermediate outpatient psychiatry
In the reporting year, preparations for the pilot review in intermediate outpatient psychiatry were progressing at full speed. In response to the ANQ request for applications, more than 20 outpatient centres for adult and child and adolescent psychiatry responded and expressed interest in conducting the pilot reviews. The pilot project aims to create the basis for uniform and comparative quality reviews along the treatment chain of inpatient-to-intermediate outpatient clinics, to design suitable instruments and to enable the recording of PROMs to assess quality. Priority will be given to evaluating the indicators and review tools that have already been established for inpatient care. In addition, the reviews will include the quality of life indicator recommended by the Swiss Society for Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutic Outpatient Clinics (SGPPT) as well as other instruments that, in part, are already being employed in outpatient care. w hoch 2 has been charged with the logistics of the review, supporting the participating institutions, and evaluating and reporting results.
Link to the pilot project
Training courses
The training opportunities offered by the psychiatry department are to be made even more appealing. In the reporting year, ANQ worked on ways to achieve this, in particular a survey of professionals. The findings from this survey will be used to develop a new concept. The objective of this further development is to increase the number of participants and to ensure that all training courses are regularly conducted.
Changes in personnel
In July, Stefan Nydegger, a qualified (NDS HF) anaesthesia nurse and qualified (HF) paramedic, took over as head of the psychiatry department at the ANQ administrative office. He succeeds Dr. Johanna Friedli.
Quality Committee (QC)
QC Psychiatry
The QC Psychiatry met for five in-person and virtual meetings. The subjects of the full-day meeting were the 2020 national comparison reports and various other developments. The collected review data can be employed to evaluate numerous additional parameters, and as a result the QC and w hoch 2 has developed the new “Q-Options” service. This gives medical institutes the option of ordering additional evaluations for a fee. The new service was introduced on the 2022 Q-Day.
Expert groups (EG)
EG Geriatric Psychiatry
The EG Geriatric Psychiatry met twice online in 2021. It is tasked with developing basic principles and review criteria for geriatric psychiatry and with making recommendations to the QC Psychiatry. The aim is to ensure that quality reviews in the future are better suited to the specific requirements of geriatric psychiatry.
EG Patient Satisfaction – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
The EG Patient Satisfaction – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry met on three occasions. The panel actively pursued optimal implementation of the patient satisfaction survey and maintained a lively dialogue with the review logistics centre w hoch 2 and the evaluation institute ESOPE Unisanté. In addition, the EG developed the content-related basis for a concept for evaluating and publishing the findings for submission to the interdisciplinary QC Patient Satisfaction.
Peter Lothenbach of Sonnenhof Hospital announced his retirement from the EG at the end of 2021.