What term describes the process of shifting care from inpatient to community-based facilities?

• A. Community-based care
• B. Deinstitutionalization
• C. Hospital-based treatment
• D. Inpatient care

Answer: (B)

Shifting care from inpatient settings to community-based facilities is called deinstitutionalization. This term captures the move away from long-term residence in psychiatric hospitals toward supports that occur in the community—outpatient treatment, case management, supported housing, day programs, and local mental health services. It reflects a policy and service-delivery change aimed at integrating people into everyday life rather than keeping them in large institutions. The other terms describe different aspects of care: community-based care refers to services delivered in the community but doesn’t specify the process of moving care out of institutions; hospital-based treatment and inpatient care describe care provided within hospital settings, which is the opposite of the shift deinstitutionalization describes.