The Care of Mental Health Patients in the Emergency Department: One Rural Hospital's Approach

Abstract

Background: The need for mental health services in the Emergency Department (ED) has been steadily increasing, with long waits being reported for patients needing mental health services. In the present setting, patients waited an average of 2–3 h to see a mental health professional. Objective: The objective of this intervention was to greatly decrease the wait times for ED patients with mental health needs. Discussion: Four mental health professionals were trained to complete crisis assessments for patients in the ED, and an Access Center (AC) was added to the ED. The AC is staffed 24 h a day, 7 days a week. The purpose of the AC was to meet the mental health needs of ED patients as quickly as possible. Conclusion: Patients with mental health needs now receive services in a timely manner (< 30 min) despite the fact that the number of patients needing mental health services is steadily increasing. The addition of an Access Center to the ED has resulted in the provision of mental health services within time limits acceptable to both the patients and the medical staff.