| Methods |
Allocation: 'randomly assigned' ‐ no details given.
Follow up: 8 months.*
Lost to follow‐up: 0%.
Objectivity of rating of outcome: unclear. |
| Participants |
Inclusion criteria: i. age <62; ii. in psychiatric hospital >2 years in last 4; iii. no dementa or severe disability; iv. not about to be discharged; v. no unpredictable violence (149/411in‐patients excluded, random sample of 50 selected from remainder).
Diagnosis: schizophrenia, schizophrenia‐like disorders (78%).
N=50.
Age: mean ˜46 years.
Sex: not reported.
Race: not reported.
History: ever married U/K, ever employed >50%, time since last employment >2 years, previous admissions >1, mainly veterans or seamen.
Setting: general psychiatric hospital, Texas, USA. |
| Interventions |
1. Specialised rehabilitation ward: i. intensive multi‐disciplinary input; ii. social skills groups; iii. group and individual vocational assignments; iv. tours of local industrial facilities; v. sheltered workshop; vi. transitional work experience in local community enterprises. N=25.
2. Control: continuing inpatient treatment on rehabilitation wards, option of referral to external vocational rehabilitation services. N=25. |
| Outcomes |
In competitive employment.
In any employment.
Discharged from hospital.
Lost to follow up. |
| Notes |
* The full trial was three phases lasting for total of 20 months ‐ only phase 1 is relevant to this review. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Unclear risk |
B ‐ Unclear |
