Does Outreach Case Management Improve Patients' Quality of Life?

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether enhancing standard aftercare with an outreach case management intervention would improve patients' quality of life. METHODS: A sample of 292 patients discharged from an inpatient psychiatry service at an urban general hospital were randomly assigned either to an intervention group (N=147), which received outreach case management services in addition to standard aftercare service, or to a control group (N=145), which received only standard aftercare services. The follow-up period was 15 to 52 months. Individuals in both groups were reinterviewed by an independent research team about 21.6 months after discharge. The groups were compared using 39 measures of quality of life. The interviews elicited information about patients' physical well-being and competence in performing activities of daily living; their emotional well-being as shown in emotional expressiveness, sadness, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse; and their interpersonal relationships, living arrangements, friendships, income maintenance, and employment. RESULTS: No difference was found between the groups on any of the quality-of-life variables. CONCLUSIONS: Outreach case management was not associated with improved quality of life.