Characterization of the elderly patient with psychiatric urgency in the Psychiatric Hospital “Luis Ramírez López”, Guantanamo 2019

Abstract

Introduction: the elderly assisted in the urgency service in the Psychiatric Hospital Luis Ramirez Lopez has not been characterized. Objective: to characterize the elderly patients with a psychiatric urgency assisted in the urgency service of the already mentioned institution during the year 2019. Method: a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out. The following variables were studied in the total of assisted patients (N=1427): sex, age, area of origin, diagnosis and steps to follow with the patient. Results: 64.4% of the patients were women and the 35.6% men, with an average age between 60 and 69 years (57.9%) and who came from the south area of the municipality of Guantánamo (30.3%). The most common diagnoses were affective dysfunctions (32.7%), mostly with ambulatory treatment (81.4%). Conclusions: it is considerably high the demand on psychiatric attention in urgency service for elderly patients, mainly because of affective dysfunctions that require ambulatory attention.

Keywords

• adulto mayor
• psiquiatría
• atención de urgencia