[Effort, Success and Failure while Seeking for Outpatient Psychotherapy - Results of a Prospective Study]. / Aufwand, Erfolg und Scheitern bei der Suche nach einem ambulanten Psychotherapieplatz ­ Ergebnisse einer prospektiven Studie.

OBJECTIVE: Patients and general practitioners often report on difficulties in finding a psychotherapist. In this prospective study, we investigate how much effort patients have to invest and how long it takes until they get an appointment with a psychotherapist. METHODS: 69 patients who were recommended to have psychotherapy were followed-up by telephone calls during 3 months. They were asked what they did to find a therapist and what the answers of the therapists were. RESULTS: Patients made on average 9.3 (SD 11.8) telephone calls to therapists (range 1-50). After three months, 57.7% of the patients had found a therapist or were on a waiting list. 15.3% were still seeking, 6.8% had quit seeking. 20.3% had not even started seeking. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that much effort is needed to find a psychotherapist, but also that the majority of the patients do find one. Reasons for quitting the search for a therapist might be ambivalence on the part of the patients, but also the marked barriers in the health system.

[Waiting Times For Admission Into A Psychotherapeutic Inpatient Treatment - Results of A Prospective Study In South-Württemberg]. / Wartezeiten auf die Aufnahme in eine Psychosomatische Klinik ­ Ergebnisse einer prospektiven Studie in Südwürttemberg.

INTRODUCTION: Waiting times for the admission into a so called psychosomatic hospital in Germany prevent the necessary immediate treatment. They lead to further incapacity for work and chronic manifestation of the disease. It is reported that most psychosomatic hospitals have waiting times, but there are no studies on data on that. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to access prospectively in a defined region, how long it takes for the patients to get an outpatient preliminary talk and thereafter, how long they have to wait for their admission. METHODS: 7 hospitals out of the region of South-Württemberg took part on this study, 2 of them had bigger day hospitals. Data were assessed prospectively in 2015 over 9 months, in total 916 admissions were assessed. RESULTS: The waiting time until a preliminary talk, in which the indication for inpatient treatment was secured, was in the mean 25 days (SD=31). The waiting time after this talk until admission was 56 days (SD=47). Patients who waited for a day treatment had to wait even longer. An urgency remark, given by the therapist of the preliminary talk, as well as a private illness insurance led to shorter waiting times. The diagnosis had no influence on the waiting time. CONCLUSIONS: The waiting times are substantial and imply a burden for the patient and also for the health care system. It is recommended to assess and publish these waiting times on a regularly basis. Politics, but also the actors in the health care system should discuss if and how this deficit can be changed.