Relationship between depression and long-term admission: A study of surgical patients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
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Date
2008-11-30
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Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
Abstract
Depression is an important public health problem and one of the leading causes of disease
burden worldwide. It is often co morbid with other chronic diseases and can worsen their associated health outcomes. Mental health has never been a priority in a country with so many other life-threatening conditions and in cannot be in a country, which poverty is chronic and wide spread. In Malawi, 6.5 million of its population lives in poverty and a further 27% live in extreme poverty. This leads to increased brain drain such that the shortage of health workers in Malawi is severe even by African standards. This is why Malawi actively addresses other health problems such as physical problems leaving the mental health problems unattended. As a result, long term stays in hospital is common. According to the biopsychosocial model, all diseases contain psychological consequences; however, no particular effort is made to overcome such consequences. Objectives of the study The objective of this study therefore was to determine whether there is any relationship between depression and long term admission among patients with surgical conditions at
Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. Methods This was a descriptive quantitative study, which was conducted among surgical patients admitted in surgical wards for a period of two weeks or more at QECH. Thirty subjects were recruited using convenient sampling where subjects need to meet a certain condition
that is being in the right place and at the right time. A Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) a measure of depression and a questionnaire measuring social demographic and other predictive factors for depression were administered verbally to the participants. Ethical clearance and consent to for the study was sought from Research and Publications
Committee and participants of the study respectively. Data was analyzed manually using a calculator, scatter diagrams were used and correlation coefficient was calculated to
determine the relationship between depression and long term admission. Findings showed that there was a positive but weak correlation between depression and long term admission. Other demographic characteristics like age, being male, poor socio economic status, poor social support, employment, were associated with depression.
The study recommends that health workers should pay more attention on depressive conditions in patients hospitalized in general hospitals, mainly regarding the aspects connected to medical diagnoses.