Experiences of emergency triage nurses in the police handover of mentally ill patients: A qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

BackgroundDue to the high prevalence of mental health illnesses, police officers are often the community resource to emergency calls for someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Despite the successful efforts of crisis intervention teams, the police frequently escort and transfer the individual in crisis to the emergency department (ED). To our knowledge, one study has explored the interactions of first responders and ED staff; however, we lack an understanding of ED triage nurse experiences. AimTo explore the experiences of ED triage nurses regarding the handover of a mental health patient by police in a Quebec University Health Center. MethodSemi-structured interviews with seven nurses were thematically analyzed. The COREQ checklist for reporting qualitative research was used. ResultsNurses and police officers are both concern about patient's well-being; yet, their approach, as discussed in the theme “Medical versus Legal Responsibility”, varied based on their differing responsibilities and views of caring versus protecting. Despite a need for ED-triage protocols, as described in the theme “Ambiguities of Existing ED-Triage Protocols”, all nurses saw police officers as fellow colleagues and expressed that a change had taken place in police culture towards mental health. The latter issues are explained in the themes “Interagency Collaboration and Team-Based Approach”, and “Changing Police Culture on Mental Health.” ConclusionThere is a need for inter-professional collaboration and education to better understand the roles and scope of practice of both professions, and ED triage nurses should receive more training in the domain of mental health.