Table 2.
Characteristics of articles included in the scoping review
| Author(s) | Publication year | Country | Design | Healthcare context and setting | Study/target population | Diagnoses and comorbidities | Care transition process category | Sample size | Control | Voluntariness of re/admissions | Readmission time interval | Criteria for designating a readmission as unnecessary | Criteria for excluding a readmission from being considered unnecessary | Risk adjustments in calculating readmission rates |
| Baeza et al22 | 2018 | Brazil | Observational | Hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 401 | No control | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Barekatain et al23 | 2014 | Iran | Randomised controlled trial | Hospital(s) | Adults | Bipolar I and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders | Outpatient follow-up; patient education | 123 | Usual care | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Barker et al24 | 2011 | UK | Observational | Community setting(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | Unspecified | Historical control(s) | Both involuntary and voluntary | 7 days–12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Bastiampillai et al25 | 2010 | Australia | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up | Unspecified | Historical control(s) | Unspecified | 28 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Bernet26 | 2013 | USA | Observational | Healthcare system(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 124 | No control | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Sociodemographic variables |
| Bonsack et al27 | 2016 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Care coordination; community liaison; discharge planning; outpatient follow-up; patient education | 102 | Usual care | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Clinical and sociodemographic variables |
| Botha et al28 | 2018 | South Africa | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (male) | Serious mental illnesses | Outpatient follow-up; patient education | 120 | Patients who had been discharged on non-recruitment days during the same time period | Unspecified | 90 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Burns et al29 | 2016 | UK | Randomised controlled trial | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Psychotic disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 333 (study 1 of 2); 330 (study 2 of 2) |
Patients without community treatment orders | Both involuntary and voluntary | 12 months (study 1 of 2); 36 months (study 2 of 2) |
Unspecified | Recall to hospital of a patient on a community treatment order (CTO), as this is understood as being part of the CTO process rather than an outcome (if a recall ended in the CTO being revoked, then considered a readmission, calculated from the first day of the recall) | Unspecified |
| Bursac et al30 | 2018 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric prison unit(s) | Adults (male and justice- involved) | Mental health disorders | Care coordination; community liaison; discharge planning; patient education | 30 | Patients who are frequently rehospitalised and participants themselves pre- intervention | Involuntary | 15 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Callaly et al31 | 2010 | Australia | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 115 | No control | Unspecified | 28 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Chen et al32 | 2019 | China | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Bipolar I disorder | Patient education | 140 | Usual care | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Service use variables |
| Clibbens et al33 | 2018 | Various (predominantly middle-income to high- income countries) | Rapid review | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Discharge planning | Various | Various | Unspecified | Various (28, 30 days) | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Currie et al34 | 2018 | Canada | Observational | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (with experience of homelessness) | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 497 | No control | Unspecified | 2, 6, 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Dixon et al35 | 2009 | USA | Randomised controlled trial | Healthcare system(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Serious mental illnesses | Community liaison; discharge planning; outpatient follow-up; patient education | 135 | Usual care | Unspecified | 6 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Healthcare site variables |
| Donisi et al36 | 2016 | Various (Australia, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, UK, USA) | Systematic review | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Various | Various | Various | Both involuntary and voluntary | Various (30 days; 1–12 months; more than 1 year) |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Various variables (including clinical, service use and sociodemographic) |
| Faurholt- Jepsen et al37 | 2017 | Denmark | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Unipolar and bipolar disorders | Patient education | To be determined (study not completed at time of publication) | Usual care | Unspecified | 3, 6 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Fullerton et al38 | 2016 | USA | Observational | Various | Adults (Medicaid enrollees) | Mental health, substance use and medical disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 32 037 | Patients with similar propensity scores who did not receive intermediate services | Unspecified | 90 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Giacco et al39 | 2018 | Various (Australia, Japan, Switzerland, UK) | Systematic review | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Various | Various | Various | Both involuntary and voluntary | Various (12 months; 12, 24 months; unspecified) |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Gouzoulis- Mayfrank et al40 | 2015 | Germany | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Schizophrenia/schizophreniform/schizoaffective and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up; patient education | 100 | Usual care | Voluntary | 3, 6, 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Grinshpoon et al41 | 2011 | Israel | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 908 | No control | Unspecified | 180 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Various variables |
| Habit et al42 | 2018 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Information provision | Unspecified | No control | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hanrahan et al43 | 2014 | USA | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and major medical (eg, diabetes, asthma, cancer) disorders | Outpatient follow-up; patient education | 40 | Usual care | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hegedüs et al44 | 2018 | Switzerland | Pilot/exploratory | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Patient education | 29 | Usual care | Unspecified | 7 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hengartner et al45 | 2017 | Switzerland | Secondary analysis following a randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Community liaison; discharge planning; outpatient follow-up | 151 | Usual care | Both involuntary and voluntary | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hengartner et al46 | 2016 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Community liaison | 151 | Usual care | Unspecified | 3, 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hennemann et al47 | 2018 | Various (Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden) | Systematic review | Various | Adults | Mental health disorders | Patient education | Various | Various | Unspecified | Various (4, 9, 12, 18, 24 months) |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Hutchison et al8 | 2019 | USA | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (Medicaid enrollees) | Mental health and substance use disorders | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up | 1724 | Usual care | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis, geographical area, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Kidd et al48 | 2016 | Canada | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Serious mental illnesses | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up | 23 | No control | Unspecified | 1, 6 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Kim et al49 | 2011 | USA | Observational | Hospital(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 53 363 | No control | Unspecified | 84 days (other than study period) | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis, insurance type, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Kisely et al50 | 2014 | Various (UK, USA) | Systematic review | Community setting(s) | Adults | Serious mental illnesses | Outpatient follow-up | Various | Usual care | Unspecified | Various (11–12, 12 months) |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Kolbasovsky51 | 2009 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up; patient education | 652 | Historical control(s) | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis, insurance type, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Kurdyak et al1 | 2018 | Canada | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Schizophrenia | Outpatient follow-up | 19 132 | No physician follow-up | Unspecified | 210 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Clinical, geographical area, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Lay et al52 | 2015 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Patient education; outpatient follow-up | 238 | Usual care | Involuntary | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Lay et al53 | 2012 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Patient education; outpatient follow-up | To be determined (study not completed at time of publication) | Usual care | Both involuntary and voluntary | 12, 24 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Lee et al54 | 2015 | China | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 210 | Usual care | Unspecified | 6, 12, 18 months |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Liem and Lee55 | 2013 | China | Systematic review | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 140 | Usual care | Unspecified | 12, 24 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Mattei et al56 | 2017 | Italy | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Patient education | 52 | Not taking part in any psychoeducation groups/rehabilitation activities | Both involuntary and voluntary | 6 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| McDonagh et al57 | 2018 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Hospital(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Mental health disorders | Care coordination; patient education | Unspecified | No control | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Nubukpo et al58 | 2016 | France | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 330 | No control | Unspecified | 24 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Ortiz59 | 2018 | USA | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Care coordination; outpatient follow-up | 60 254 | No control | Both involuntary and voluntary | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis and service use variables |
| Passley-Clarke60 | 2018 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Patient education | 216 patients, 2 staff | No control | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Perez et al61 | 2017 | Colombia | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 224 | No control | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Prochaska et al62 | 2014 | USA | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Patient education | 224 | Usual care | Both involuntary and voluntary | 3, 6, 12, 18 months |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Clinical variables |
| Rabovsky et al63 | 2012 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Patient education | 87 | Open social activity group | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Roos et al64 | 2018 | Norway | Randomised controlled trial | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up | 41 | Usual care | Voluntary | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Rothbard et al65 | 2012 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 176 | Usual care | Involuntary | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Clinical, diagnosis, insurance type, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Rowley et al66 | 2014 | UK | Pilot/exploratory | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (male) | Mental health, substance use and medical disorders | Care coordination; discharge planning | 50 staff | No control | Unspecified | 1 month | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Shaffer et al2 | 2015 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Community setting(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison; outpatient follow-up | 149 | Historical control(s) | Unspecified | 30, 31–180 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Shimada et al67 | 2016 | Japan | Non-controlled intervention | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Schizophrenia | Outpatient follow-up | 44 | Group occupational therapy only | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Simpson et al68 | 2014 | UK | Pilot/exploratory | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 46 | Usual care | Unspecified | 1, 3 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Sledge et al69 | 2011 | USA | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Serious mental illnesses | Outpatient follow-up | 74 | Usual care | Unspecified | 9 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Sloan et al70 | 2010 | USA | Quasi- experimental | Hospital(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 1409 | Patients discharged while in the continuity of care model | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Taylor et al71 | 2016 | USA | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (Medicaid enrollees) | Mental health disorders | Patient education | 195 | Usual care | Both involuntary and voluntary | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Homelessness, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Thambyrajah et al72 | 2014 | Singapore | Observational | Various | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison | 88 | No control | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Thomas and Rickwood73 | 2013 | Various (UK, USA) | Systematic review | Various | Adults | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | Various | Various | Voluntary | Various (12, 37–42 months) | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Tomita et al74 | 2014 | USA | Secondary analysis following a randomised controlled trial | Residential programme(s) | Adults (with experience of homelessness) | Serious mental illnesses | Community liaison | 150 | Usual care | Unspecified | 13.5–18 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Tomko et al75 | 2013 | USA | Observational | Hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Patient education; outpatient follow-up | 504 | Patients excluded from the discharge medication service (eg, due to being a part of other treatment teams) | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Valimaki et al76 | 2017 | Finland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Psychotic disorders | Information provision; patient education | 1139 | Usual care | Both involuntary and voluntary | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Videbech and Deleuran77 | 2016 | Denmark | Research database construction | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Depressive disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 54 001 | Not applicable (study is on constructing a research database) | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Vigod et al78 | 2013 | Various (USA, other high-income countries) | Systematic review | Various | Adults | Mental health disorders | Various | Various | Various | Voluntary | Various (3, 6–24 months) | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Vijayaraghavan et al79 | 2015 | USA | Observational | Community setting(s) and psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health and substance use disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 4663 | No control | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Diagnosis, service use and sociodemographic variables |
| Von Wyl et al6 | 2013 | Switzerland | Randomised controlled trial | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Community liaison; discharge planning; outpatient follow-up; patient education | 160 | Usual care | Unspecified | 3, 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Wong80 | 2015 | China | Observational | Hospital(s) | Adults (aged 65 and over) | Mental health disorders | Outpatient follow-up | 368 | No control | Unspecified | 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 months |
Unspecified | Unspecified | Sociodemographic variables |
| Xiao et al81 | 2015 | China | Observational | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Schizophrenia | Outpatient follow-up | 876 | No control | Unspecified | 12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Yates et al82 | 2010 | USA | Non-controlled intervention | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults (justice- involved) | Mental health and substance use disorders | Patient education | 145 | No control | Unspecified | 6–60 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Zisman-Ilani et al83 | 2018 | Israel | Quasi- experimental | Psychiatric hospital(s) | Adults | Mental health disorders | Discharge planning | 101 | Usual care | Unspecified | 6–12 months | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Zuehlke et al84 | 2016 | USA | Quality improvement | Hospital(s) | Adults (military veterans) | Mental health disorders | Care coordination; discharge planning | 352 patients, 27 staff | No control | Unspecified | 30 days | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |