Group therapy versus ward rounds.

In this paper we present the development of an open-ended, unstructured, voluntary, unselected group which has met twice a week over a nine-month period. We further evaluate the use of this group in lieu of ward rounds, concluding that observations in a small group afford an effective adjunct to assessing a patient's current mental status. The group further provides a unique, on-going evaluation of the patient's interaction with others and, therefore, a better understanding of his individual problems. Group observations and the post-group meetings proved to be helpful teaching devices. The authors propose the use of this type of group therapy as a modification to the traditional medical model used on psychiatric units in general hospitals.