Profile and outcomes of emergency department presentations based on mode of arrival: A state-wide retrospective cohort study

Characteristics and outcomes of emergency department presentations brought in by police with and without an emergency examination authority: A state-wide cohort study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to describe and compare the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and patient and health service outcomes of emergency department (ED) presentations brought in by police with and without an emergency examination authority.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of adult (≥ 18 years old) presentations brought in by police to EDs in Queensland, Australia from 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2020. Routinely collected ED data were used to describe and compare the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of people brought in by police with and without an emergency examination authority.

RESULTS

A total of 42 502 adult ED presentations were brought in by police over the three-year period, of which 22 981 (44.7%) had an emergency examination authority. Compared with presentations brought in by police without an emergency examination authority, those brought in by police with an emergency examination authority had a higher proportion of presentations for mental health problems, were from major cities, and were allocated more urgent Australasian Triage Scale categories. Presentations brought in by police with an emergency examination authority were less likely to be seen within their Australasian Triage Scale timeframe and experienced a longer length of stay than those brought in by police without an emergency examination authority whether admitted (217 mins vs. 186 mins, p < 0.001) or discharged (212 mins vs. 97 mins, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The characteristics and outcomes of people brought in by police with emergency examination authorities differed to those brought in by police without emergency examination authorities. Further research is required to enhance understanding of this relatively unexplored group of people and foster interagency collaborations.

Mapping clinical interactions in an Australian tertiary hospital emergency department for patients presenting with risk of suicide or self-harm: Network modeling from observational data

BACKGROUND

Reliable assessment of suicide and self-harm risk in emergency medicine is critical for effective intervention and treatment of patients affected by mental health disorders. Teams of clinicians face the challenge of rapidly integrating medical history, wide-ranging psychosocial factors, and real-time patient observations to inform diagnosis, treatment, and referral decisions. Patient outcomes therefore depend on the reliable flow of information through networks of clinical staff and information systems. This study aimed to develop a quantitative data-driven research framework for the analysis of information flow in emergency healthcare settings to evaluate clinical practice and operational models for emergency psychiatric care.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We deployed 2 observers in a tertiary hospital emergency department during 2018 for a total of 118.5 h to record clinical interactions along patient trajectories for presentations with risk of self-harm or suicide (n = 272 interactions for n = 43 patient trajectories). The study population was reflective of a naturalistic sample of patients presenting to a tertiary emergency department in a metropolitan Australian city. Using the observational data, we constructed a clinical interaction network to model the flow of clinical information at a systems level. Community detection via modularity maximization revealed communities in the network closely aligned with the underlying clinical team structure. The Psychiatric Liaison Nurse (PLN) was identified as the most important agent in the network as quantified by node degree, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality. Betweenness centrality of the PLN was significantly higher than expected by chance (>95th percentile compared with randomly shuffled networks) and removing the PLN from the network reduced both the global efficiency of the model and the closeness centrality of all doctors. This indicated a potential vulnerability in the system that could negatively impact patient care if the function of the PLN was compromised. We developed an algorithmic strategy to mitigate this risk by targeted strengthening of links between clinical teams using greedy cumulative addition of network edges in the model. Finally, we identified specific interactions along patient trajectories which were most likely to precipitate a psychiatric referral using a machine learning model trained on features from dynamically constructed clinical interaction networks. The main limitation of this study is the use of nonclinical information only (i.e., modeling is based on timing of interactions and agents involved, but not the content or quantity of information transferred during interactions).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a data-driven research framework, new to the best of our knowledge, to assess and reinforce important information pathways that guide clinical decision processes and provide complementary insights for improving clinical practice and operational models in emergency medicine for patients at risk of suicide or self-harm. Our findings suggest that PLNs can play a crucial role in clinical communication, but overreliance on PLNs may pose risks to reliable information flow. Operational models that utilize PLNs may be made more robust to these risks by improving interdisciplinary communication between doctors. Our research framework could also be applied more broadly to investigate service delivery in different healthcare settings or for other medical specialties, patient groups, or demographics.

Profile and Outcomes of Emergency Department Mental Health Patient Presentations Based on Arrival Mode: A State-Wide Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION

People arriving to the emergency department with mental health problems experience varying and sometimes inferior outcomes compared with people without mental health problems, yet little is known about whether or how their arrival mode is associated with these outcomes. This study describes and compares demographics, clinical characteristics, and patient and health service outcomes of adult mental health emergency department patient presentations, based on arrival mode: brought in by ambulance, privately arranged transport, and brought in by police.

METHODS

Using a retrospective observational study design with state-wide administrative data from Queensland, Australia, mental health presentations from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 446,815 presentations, 51.8% were brought in by ambulance, 37.2% arrived via privately arranged transport, and 11.0% were brought in by police. Compared with other arrival modes, presentations brought in by ambulance were more likely to be older and female and have more urgent triage categories and a longer length of stay. Presentations arriving by privately arranged transport were more likely than other arrival modes to present during the day, be assigned a less urgent triage category, be seen within their recommended triage time, have a shorter length of stay in the emergency department, have higher rates of discharge, and have waited longer to be seen by a clinician. Presentations brought in by police were more likely than other arrival modes to be younger and male and experience a shorter time to be seen by a clinician.

DISCUSSION

Discrepancies between arrival modes indicates a need for further investigation to support inter- and intra-agency mental health care interventions.

Characteristics and outcomes of patient presentations to the emergency department via police: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

As emergency department (ED) presentations continue to rise, understanding the complexities of vulnerable populations such as people brought in by police (BIBP) is crucial. This review aimed to map and describe the research about people BIBP to the ED.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A scoping review, guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute process, was undertaken. The databases CINAHL, Embase and PubMed were searched between November 2017 and July 2022. The Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice, Research recommendations (PAGER) framework was used to guide the analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies were included in the review, originating mainly from westernised countries. Examination of patterns across studies revealed four themes: routinely collected data is used to describe people BIBP to the ED; a focus on mental health care; the relationship between care delivery and outcomes; and the role of police in providing emergency care.

CONCLUSION

There is some understanding of the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of people BIBP to the ED. Knowledge gaps surrounding sociodemographic factors, prehospital and ED care delivery for people BIBP require further investigation to optimise outcomes for this vulnerable cohort of presenters.