Rehabilitation status--dysfunction and treatment outcome in a psychiatric day hospital.

Two groups of patients representing the common objectives of Day Hospitals, namely steady progress and maintenance in the community, were studied. The Morningside Rehabilitation Scale was used to measure dependency, inactivity, isolation and the effects of current symptoms on the patient's life-style. Small but significant changes including in some cases crucial changes which involve working capacity were observed. There is discussion on the value of standardised measurement and the expression of results in terms of levels of functioning. The effect on multi-professional communication and on the possibilities of comparison and planning of services is discussed.