Munchausen syndrome: need for centralized administrative health-care management

The clinical picture of Munchausen syndrome is that of feigned or self-induced illness with the aim of being hospitalized and/or receiving unnecessary medical interventions, peregrination from 1 hospital to another, and disruptive behavior when hospitalized. These patients are a danger to themselves and heavily burden inpatient facilities that care for them. We present a case that illustrates the problems of diagnosing and managing such patients. We stress the need for adequate centralization and distribution of the relevant information concerning these patients.