The Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies also seeks adequate education and training for all emergency personnel who care for patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies.
“Emergency department staff need proper training not only on how to handle behavioral health emergencies, but also on how to initiate care for patients who may remain in the ED setting for long periods of time,” Dr Lorenzo Norris, director of inpatient psychiatric services at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC, said in an interview. “Establishing these new systems will likely require robust funding efforts.”
‘‘There is a growing need for change. At our hospital, we have definitely seen an uptick in the number of patients seeking emergency psychiatric care,” Dr Norris said. “Our approach has been to hire a clinician whose sole duty is to work collaboratively with patients and ED staff. It’s the first step in our ultimate goal of creating an ED behavioral health team that includes a psychiatrist, an emergency physician, nursing staff, social worker, and others who can provide the patient with comprehensive care at the initial point of contact.”
Currently in the United States, there are no standard protocols for a psychiatric emergency, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The online survey was conducted within the ACEP membership between July 1 through 31, 2015. The response rate was 6% and the margin of error of 2.5%.