Pilot study results from the assertive community treatment transitional intervention program in Switzerland

Often, after an inpatient stay, early readmission occurs, which is detrimental to the patient. University Psychiatric Clinics Basel developed a 3-month transitional intervention program to bridge inpatient and community treatment by supporting people after their discharge from the psychiatric hospital. In line with international guidelines, this transitional intervention was delivered as assertive community treatment in the homes of people who wished to participate. Data from the 3-year pilot project starting in 2019 have been collected to analyze the success of its implementation and treatment effectiveness in reducing follow-up inpatient treatment days when comparing people choosing to participate in the transitional program and receiving treatment (n_cases = 456) versus people declining participation (n_cases = 104). Results indicate that within 3 years, a multidisciplinary team could be assembled that was able to work with a caseload of up to 66 persons per month. Receipt of treatment was descriptively associated with lower numbers of inpatient treatment days, stays, and involuntary admissions 6 months after discharge; however, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Program participants further reported very high levels of satisfaction. These findings provide an outlook on the program's feasibility and potential benefits.