CARES: improving the care and disposition of psychiatric patients in the pediatric emergency department

Impact of a Mental Health Screening Process in a Pediatric Emergency Department

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe how specific mental health-trained social workers can assist in the evaluations and follow-up of patients presenting with mental health concerns in the pediatric emergency department (ED).

METHODS

Work was performed at a quaternary children's hospital ED with 95,000 annual ED visits across 2 locations. Patients requiring mental health services identified based on presenting complaint or from universal suicide screen were included. Emergency department team first evaluates the patients for medical screening and then consults a team of social workers specialized in acute mental health screening (AMHS). The team evaluates and provides recommendation for disposition and assists in plan completion. For patients not admitted, AMHS team makes 24- and 48-hour calls to ensure safety. We collected and analyzed the data on all eligible patients from September 2015 through June 2019 for (1) demographic information, (2) trends in number of consults to AMHS, (3) disposition plans and trends by year, and (4) frequency of follow-up phone calls.

RESULTS

A total of 5950 patient visits were reviewed, for 4454 distinct patients. Most patients were 12 to 17 years of age, female, and White, with Medicaid being the predominant insurance. The most common chief complaint was suicidal ideation/plan/attempt. Self-referrals were the majority of assessments, and 59% of patients were already receiving mental health services. Median team response time was 19 minutes. There was an upward trend in consults. Psychiatric hospitalization was the most common disposition; more than 95% of the other visits had timely follow-up phone calls.

CONCLUSION

Despite an increasing number of patients presenting to the ED with mental health crisis, safe and efficient management is possible with ED staff-social worker partnership. This approach can ensure that eligible patients receive consistent and evidence-based evaluations and can allow ED clinicians to respond to medical emergencies that require their attention.

Evidence-based brief interventions targeting acute mental health presentations for children and adolescents: systematic review

BACKGROUND

Brief intervention services provide rapid, mobile and flexible short-term delivery of interventions to resolve mental health crises. These interventions may provide an alternative pathway to the emergency department or in-patient psychiatric services for children and young people (CYP), presenting with an acute mental health condition.

AIMS

To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of brief interventions in improving mental health outcomes for CYP (0-17 years) presenting with an acute mental health condition.

METHOD

A systematic literature search was conducted, and the studies' methodological quality was assessed. Five databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles between January 2000 and September 2022.

RESULTS

We synthesised 30 articles on the effectiveness of brief interventions in the form of (a) crisis intervention, (b) integrated services, (c) group therapies, (d) individualised therapy, (e) parent-child dyadic therapy, (f) general services, (g) pharmacotherapy, (h) assessment services, (i) safety and risk planning and (j) in-hospital treatment, to improve outcomes for CYP with an acute mental health condition. Among included studies, one study was rated as providing a high level of evidence based on the National Health and Medical Research Council levels of evidence hierarchy scale, which was a crisis intervention showing a reduction in length of stay and return emergency department visits. Other studies, of moderate-quality evidence, described multimodal brief interventions that suggested beneficial effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides evidence to substantiate the benefits of brief interventions, in different settings, to reduce the burden of in-patient hospital and readmission rates to the emergency department.

A Qualitative Assessment of Barriers and Proposed Interventions to Improve Acute Agitation Management for Children With Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Mental health visits to the emergency department (ED) by children are rising in the United States, and acute agitation during these visits presents safety risks to patients and staff.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to assess barriers and strategies for providing high-quality care to children who experience acute agitation in the ED.

METHODS

We conducted semistructured interviews with 6 ED physicians, 6 ED nurses, 6 parents, and 6 adolescents at high risk for developing agitation. We asked participants about their experiences with acute agitation care in the ED, barriers and facilitators to providing high-quality care, and proposed interventions. Interviews were coded and analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

Participants discussed identifying risk factors for acute agitation, worrying about safety and the risk of injury, feeling moral distress, and shifting the culture toward patient-centered, trauma-informed care. Barriers and facilitators included using a standardized care pathway, identifying environmental barriers and allocating resources, partnering with the family and child, and communicating among team members. Nine interventions were proposed: opening a behavioral observation unit with dedicated staff and space, asking screening questions to identify risk of agitation, creating personalized care plans in the electronic health record, using a standardized agitation severity scale, implementing a behavioral response team, providing safe activities and environmental modifications, improving the handoff process, educating staff, and addressing bias and inequities.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding barriers can inform solutions to improve care for children who experience acute agitation in the ED. The perspectives of families and patients should be considered when designing interventions to improve care.

Review: Crisis responses for children and young people - a systematic review of effectiveness, experiences and service organisation (CAMH-Crisis)

BACKGROUND

In England, one in six children aged 5-19 has a probable diagnosable mental health disorder. This is a major public health problem, with multiple agencies adopting varying approaches to care delivery for children and young people (CYP) in crisis.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the organisation of crisis services across education, health, social care and voluntary sectors; the experiences and perceptions of CYP, families and staff; the effectiveness of current approaches to care and the goals of crisis intervention.

METHODS

A systematic review of all relevant English language evidence regarding the provision and receipt of crisis support for CYP aged 5-25 (PROSPERO-CRD42019160134). Seventeen databases were searched from 1995 to 2021 and relevant UK-only grey literature was identified. Critical appraisal was conducted using appropriate design specific appraisal tools. A narrative approach to synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

In total, 138 reports (48 reports covering 42 primary research studies; 36 reports covering 39 descriptive accounts of the organisation services and 54 UK-only grey literature reports) were included. The evidence suggests that crisis services were organised as follows: triage/assessment-only, digitally mediated support approaches, and intervention approaches and models. When looking at experiences of crisis care, four themes were identified: (a) barriers and facilitators to seeking and accessing appropriate support; (b) what children and young people want from crisis services; (c) children's, young people's and families' experiences of crisis services; and (d) service provision. In determining effectiveness, the findings are summarised by type of service and were generated from single heterogenous studies. The goals of crisis services were identified.

DISCUSSION

Despite a lack of high-quality international studies, findings suggest that support prior to reaching crisis point is important. From this work, various aspects of crisis care have been identified that can be incorporated into existing services across education, health, social care and the voluntary sector.

Models of integrated care for young people experiencing medical emergencies related to mental illness: a realist systematic review

Mental illness heightens risk of medical emergencies, emergency hospitalisation, and readmissions. Innovations for integrated medical-psychiatric care within paediatric emergency settings may help adolescents with acute mental disorders to get well quicker and stay well enough to remain out of hospital. We assessed models of integrated acute care for adolescents experiencing medical emergencies related to mental illness (MHR). We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Embase, and Web of Science for quantitative studies within paediatric emergency medicine, internationally. We included populations aged 8-25 years. Our outcomes were length of hospital stay (LOS), emergency hospital admissions, and rehospitalisation. Limits were imposed on dates: 1990 to June 2021. We present a narrative synthesis. This study is registered on PROSPERO: 254,359. 1667 studies were screened, 22 met eligibility, comprising 39,346 patients. Emergency triage innovations reduced admissions between 4 and 16%, including multidisciplinary staffing and training for psychiatric assessment (F(3,42) = 4.6, P < 0.05, N = 682), and telepsychiatry consultations (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.28-0.58; P < 0.001, N = 597). Psychological therapies delivered in emergency departments reduced admissions 8-40%, including psychoeducation (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.17-0.71, P < 0.01, N = 212), risk-reduction counselling for suicide prevention (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 0.55-14.10, N = 348), and telephone follow-up (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.33-0.60, P < 0.001, N = 980). Innovations on acute wards reduced readmissions, including guided meal supervision for eating disorders (P = 0.27), therapeutic skills for anxiety disorders, and a dedicated psychiatric crisis unit (22.2 vs 8.5% (P = 0.008). Integrated pathway innovations reduced readmissions between 8 and 37% including family-based therapy (FBT) for eating disorders (X2(1,326) = 8.40, P = 0.004, N = 326), and risk-targeted telephone follow-up or outpatients for all mental disorders (29.5 vs. 5%, P = 0.03, N = 1316). Studies occurred in the USA, Canada, or Australia. Integrated care pathways to psychiatric consultations, psychological therapies, and multidisciplinary follow-up within emergency paediatric services prevented lengthy and repeat hospitalisation for MHR emergencies. Only six of 22 studies adjusted for illness severity and clinical history between before- and after-intervention cohorts and only one reported socio-demographic intervention effects.

Impacts of a University Research Assistant Program: The First Decade

Purpose

There is a declining number of physician-scientists. Little is published about the potential for university student experiences to contribute to the pipeline of future researchers. The purpose of this study was to describe a unique university research program and report the outcomes of the first 10 years.

Method

The University Research Assistant Program (URAP) was described including course content, research experiences, and student composition. Outcomes of URAP student contributions to the literature and research presentations was reported. URAP students were also surveyed to assess their perspectives on the impact of the URAP program on career choices after graduation.

Results

URAP began as an independent study course and grew into for-credit university courses. A total of 212 students have taken at least one semester and 88 responded to the survey. All students who participated in URAP have graduated, and 77% (n = 68) reported the URAP program prepared them to reach their career goals. Most graduates pursued health care careers including medical school (55%), Master's programs in health care (29%), or PhD in health care (5%). URAP students participated in research involving 11 different pediatric subspecialties. Many attained co-authorship of abstracts and publications, 53 first-authored an abstract presentation and 7 manuscripts.

Conclusions

URAP significantly influenced university students who overwhelmingly entered health care fields. While difficult to assess if these early experiences will influence participation as future physician -scientists, these students made meaningful research contributions while enrolled in these courses.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01852-6.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure, challenges with timely access to a mental health professional, the nature of a busy ED environment, and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affects patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems level coordination of care, is therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure, challenges with timely access to a mental health professional, the nature of a busy ED environment, and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affects patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems level coordination of care, is therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure; challenges with timely access to a mental health professional; the nature of a busy ED environment; and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affect patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems-level coordination of care, are therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

Patient-centered care in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-ethnographic synthesis

BACKGROUND

Patient-centered care (PCC) is an emerging priority in many healthcare settings but lacks clarity in the emergency department (ED). It is of interest to know what PCC practices are most important to patients to better their experience. The objective of this study was to conduct a mixed-methods systematic review of PCC in the ED.

METHODS

We used stakeholder and patient engagement to consult with clinicians, subject-matter experts, patient partners, and community organizations to determine patient needs. We examined all articles in the ED context with PCC as the intervention. Two independent reviewers screened 3136 articles and 13 were included. A meta-ethnographic analysis was conducted to determine common themes of PCC.

RESULTS

Themes included emotional support, communication, education, involvement of patient/family in information sharing and decision making, comfort of environment, respect and trust, continuity, and transition of care. Challenges in the ED reflected a lack of PCC. Moreover, implementation of PCC had many benefits including higher patient satisfaction with their care. Though there were commonalities of PCC components, there was no consistently used definition for PCC in the ED.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this review support the evidence that PCC is of high value to the ED setting and should be standardized in practice.

Emergency Department Initiated Mental Health Interventions for Young People: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

Young people (10-24 years old) with mental health concerns are increasingly presenting to hospital emergency departments (EDs). The purpose of this review was to identify the core components and outcomes of mental health interventions for young people that are initiated in the ED, such that they are delivered in the ED and/or by ED health workers.

METHODS

Six electronic databases were systematically searched. Primary peer-reviewed qualitative or quantitative studies describing an ED-initiated mental health intervention for young people published between 2009 and 2020 were included.

RESULTS

Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies demonstrated that compared with traditional ED care, ED-initiated mental health interventions lead to improved efficiency of care and decreased length of stay, and a core component of this care was its delivery by allied health practitioners with mental health expertise. The studies were limited by focusing on service efficiencies rather than patient outcomes. Further limitations were the exclusion of young people with complex mental health needs and/or comorbidities and not measuring long-term positive mental health outcomes, including representations and whether young people were connected with community health services.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review demonstrated that ED-initiated mental health interventions result in improved service outcomes, but further innovation and robust evaluation are required. Future research should determine whether these interventions lead to better clinical outcomes for young people and staff to inform the development of best practice recommendations for ED-initiated mental health care for young people presenting to the ED.

Prolonged Emergency Department Length of Stay for US Pediatric Mental Health Visits (2005-2015)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Children seeking care in the emergency department (ED) for mental health conditions are at risk for prolonged length of stay (LOS). A more contemporary description of trends and visit characteristics associated with prolonged ED LOS at the national level is lacking in the literature. Our objectives were to (1) compare LOS trends for pediatric mental health versus non-mental health ED visits and (2) explore patient-level characteristics associated with prolonged LOS for mental health ED visits.

METHODS

We conducted an observational analysis of ED visits among children 6 to 17 years of age using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2005-2015). We assessed trends in rates of prolonged LOS and the association between prolonged LOS and demographic and clinical characteristics (race and ethnicity, payer type, and presence of a concurrent physical health diagnosis) using descriptive statistics and survey-weighted logistic regression.

RESULTS

From 2005 to 2015, rates of prolonged LOS for pediatric mental health ED visits increased over time from 16.3% to 24.6% (LOS >6 hours) and 5.3% to 12.7% (LOS >12 hours), in contrast to non-mental health visits for which LOS remained stable. For mental health visits, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with an almost threefold odds of LOS >12 hours (odds ratio 2.74; 95% confidence interval 1.69-4.44); there was no difference in LOS by payer type.

CONCLUSIONS

The substantial rise in prolonged LOS for mental health ED visits and disparity for Hispanic children suggest worsening and inequitable access to definitive pediatric mental health care. Policy makers and health systems should work to provide equitable and timely access to pediatric mental health care.

Reducing length of stay and return visits for emergency department pediatric mental health presentations

BACKGROUND

Variability in expertise and risk tolerance among emergency departments (ED) clinicians, when assessing and managing pediatric mental health presentations, leads to increased resource utilization. HEARTSMAP is a validated electronic tool that supports ED clinicians in psychosocial assessments and disposition decision making.

METHODS

We used interrupted time series analysis (September 2016-December 2019) and multivariable regressions to measure the impact of integrating HEARTSMAP into ED practice on pediatric mental health presentations length of stay and return visits, at two pediatric EDs. The intervention site used HEARTSMAP trained ED clinicians to assess and manage mental health presentations, and reported bi-weekly ED median length of stay and 30 days-return visits for 15 months and a year, during passive and active implementation of HEARTSMAP, respectively. The control site used psychiatric nurses to assess and manage patients and was only exposed to passive implementation.

RESULTS

HEARTSMAP average uptake was on average 47.4% (range 23.8-74.6%) during active implementation at the intervention site, while the control site showed no uptake throughout the study period. Incremental HEARSTMAP (each percent increase) use was associated with a reduction of 1.8 min (95% CI 0.8-2.9 in ED length of stay and 0.3% (95% CI 0.2-0.5 in 30-day return visit rate. This translates to an adjusted average reduction of 85.3 min in ED length of stay and 15.2% in 30-day return visits for youth with mental health presentations.

CONCLUSION

Use of HEARTSMAP in the ED can decrease length of stay and return visits for emergency pediatric mental health visits, in a fixed-resource setting.

Utilization of Peer Support Specialists as a Model of Emergency Psychiatric Care

Individuals with mental health conditions are increasingly presenting to emergency departments (EDs) for mental health treatment and crisis stabilization. Several factors contribute to this trend, including increasing numbers of individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions and limited availability of psychiatric providers. Models of care exist within EDs and in off-site settings to serve this population. Many of these models have shown promising outcomes, particularly in off-site settings. Opportunities now exist to improve care of patients with psychiatric emergencies within EDs by the effective use of peer support specialists (PSSs). Such use of PSSs within EDs has shown promising recovery-related outcomes. The current article describes a hospital in suburban Chicago that recently implemented the use of PSSs in their ED. Preliminary outcomes are summarized, and opportunities to optimize the use of PSSs in ED settings are discussed. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 59(5), 33-37.].

Characterizing behavioral health-related emergency department utilization among children with Medicaid: Comparing high and low frequency utilizers

While the frequency of children's behavioral health (BH)-related visits to the emergency department (ED) is rising nationwide, few studies have examined predictors of high rates of ED use. This study examines Florida Medicaid claims (2011-2012) for children age 0-18 who were seen in an emergency department (ED) for behavioral health (BH) conditions. A logistic regression model was used to explore factors associated with frequent ED use and patterns of psychotropic medication utilization. The majority (95%) of patients with at least one BH-related ED visit had three or fewer of these visits, but 5% had four or more. Seventy-four percent of ED visits were not associated with psychotropic medication, including over half (54%) of visits for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Frequent ED use was higher among older children and those with substance use disorders. The implementation of interventions that reduce non-emergent ED visits through the provision of care coordination, social work services, and/or the use of community health workers as care navigators may address these findings.

A Collaborative Behavioral Model for Psychiatric Visits in a Pediatric Emergency Department

OBJECTIVES

Psychiatric pediatric emergency department (PED) visits are associated with extended length of stay (LOS) compared with nonpsychiatric visits. To address delays in definitive care, our PED incorporated a Collaborative Behavioral Model for patients with a psychiatric complaint. We evaluated LOS and 6-month readmission by comparing patients who received a psychiatric consultation through the model with a control group of nonpsychiatric patients. In addition, we assessed the utilization of laboratory tests and imaging and the impact of testing on final patient disposition.

METHODS

A matched-pair retrospective chart review of psychiatric PED visits was conducted for visits from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2013. Patients who received a psychiatric diagnosis and consultation through the Collaborative Behavioral Model were included. Participants were matched with a control group of similar patients who did not receive a psychiatric diagnosis.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-seven patients met all the inclusion criteria. There was no statistical difference in median LOS for patients who received a psychiatric consultation versus nonpsychiatric visits (204 vs 200 minutes; P = 0.35). The 6-month PED readmission rate for psychiatric visits was significantly less than that in the control group (18% vs 32%; P = 0.003). Of the laboratory and imaging studies performed, 1 abnormal laboratory test (1%) and no imaging studies resulted in a change in patient management.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaborative models, with specialized psychiatric components, can better coordinate the care of mental health visits by providing focused interventions that promote efficient disposition. In addition, laboratory and imaging studies resulted in few changes in management or final disposition.

Current Pediatric Emergency Department Innovative Programs to Improve the Care of Psychiatric Patients

Emergency departments (EDs) across North America have become a safety net for patients seeking mental health (MH) services. The prevalence of families seeking treatment of children in MH crisis has become a national emergency. To address MH access and improve quality and efficient management of children with MH conditions, the authors describe ED projects targeting this vulnerable population. Five North American health care systems volunteered to feature projects that seek to reduce ED visits and/or improve the care of MH patients: Allina Health, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and Rhode Island Hospital.