Day care represents one of the alternatives of acute psychiatric hospital treatment for patients with mental disorders and it is potentialy as effective and cheaper than standard hospitalisation. The aim of our study was to test this hypothesis in the Czech health care system. During a period of 20 months we contacted all 1543 patients recommended to our Psychiatric hospital VFN. After fulfilling administrative criteria a group of 944 patients emerged to become candidates for participation in the study. The most frequent exclusion reasons were severity of psychopathology, suicidal risk and addictive disorder as main diagnosis. 256 patients fulfilled the inclusion and failed exclusion criteria. 210 agreed to participate in the study. 103 patients were randomized to day care, and 107 to standard hospitalisation. Neither groups differed in their main sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The question of capacity of day hospitals in relation to structure and quality of psychiatric care has been discussed.

        Key words: acute psychiatric disorders, day care, clasic hospitalisation, recruitment of patients and randomization.