ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Attending rehabilitation programs at psychiatric daycare wards has been shown to stabilize psychiatric patients' daily routines, reduce patient symptoms, and help them regain social functions. Non-attendance increases risks of patient decompensation and return to the inpatient unit, which reduces quality of care and increases medical costs. The attendance rate for psychiatric daycare patients at our hospital was 73%. To maximize rehabilitation and treatment success, we developed a special project to raise patient program-attendance motivation. PURPOSE: This study aimed to enhance the attendance rate of our psychiatric day care patients to improve patient independence and their capacity to return to the community. RESOLUTION: Methods used included rehabilitation game cards, holding medication educational workshops, utilizing reward systems, making attendance passports, and designing activity booklets. RESULTS: The attendance rate of psychiatric day care patients rose from 73% to 89%, a 16% increase. CONCLUSION: This program not only increased the attendance rate of psychiatric day care patients but also improved communications between professional care staff and patient family members. In addition, this program strengthened daycare ward staff teamwork, which further enhanced treatment quality. We suggest considering rehabilitation program attendance as an important ward quality control criterion to assess and improve treatment and nursing care quality.