Collaborative Care in Acute Settings: An Integrated Approach to Psychiatric Care within an Academic Emergency Department

ABSTRACT

Background/Significance: Nationwide, the number of hospital emergency department (ED) visits has steadily increased over the past decade;since 2009, ED volumes have increased over 11%.1 The proportion of ED visits primarily involving psychiatric concerns (including substance use) has also been on the rise, from 6.6% of all visits in 2007 to 10.9% of all visits in 2016.2 A recent retrospective analysis of ED visit data from the National Emergency Department Sample examining the years 2010 through 2014 identified mental health concerns (including substance use) as the second-most frequent ED presentation, with abdominal pain ranking as the most frequent.3 Challenges to caring for patients with prominent psychiatric concerns in EDs include prolonged lengths of stay (LOS),4 boarding and overcrowding,5 increased restraint use,6 financial sequelae,7 and safety implications for patients and staff.5 Many EDs have limited access to psychiatric expertise. Unique features of our innovative ED-based Psychiatry service line include 1) joint administration by academic departments of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry, and 2) concurrent, rather than consecutive, evaluations conducted by Emergency Medicine physicians and Psychiatrists for optimal efficiency and collaboration. Methods: The ED Psychiatry Program at Froedtert Hospital was implemented in 2019 to improve patient care, systems-based processes, and cross-specialty education. IRB approval was granted on 4/7/2020 to review data collected on all patients seen in the ED by the new ED Psychiatry service and compare metrics with primary psychiatric patients seen in the ED prior to program implementation. Patient care metrics from the first 12 months has been analyzed;cases in which the ED psychiatrist was involved total 382 (data from 5 patients seen during this period could not be reviewed due to erroneous recording of identifying information). 754 charts were reviewed in total—377 post-implementation (9/1/2019-8/31/2020) and 377 pre-implementation (9/1/2018-8/31/2019). The following metrics were recorded and analyzed using basic summary statistics ED LOS, disposition, psychiatric diagnosis at discharge, medication class recommended, medication class administered, medication route recommended, and medication route administered. Statistical analysis was performed both on the 12-month groups in aggregate, as well as separately in 6-month groupings to assess for any COVID-19 related confounding effect. Results: Analysis of the first 12 months of data (n = 377 control and intervention patients) demonstrates statistically significant results across a number of domains, including disposition (decrease in hospital admissions and increases in transfers and ED discharges post-implementation), psychiatric diagnoses (increases in personality, intellectual developmental, and anxiety spectrum disorders post-implementation), and medication classes and administration routes utilized (decrease in benzodiazepine use and increases in both atypical antipsychotic use, as well as oral route of administration post-implementation). There were also notable decreases in ED LOS for patients being admitted and transferred from the ED;however, these differences were not statistically significant. Discussion: Analysis of the first year of service data suggests program efficacy and overall value to the health system, with relevant metrics including shorter ED LOS, improved diagnostic accuracy, increased provision of pharmacological treatment interventions in the ED setting and upon discharge, and more resource-appropriate dispositions for patients presenting to the ED with psychiatric concerns. Future directions for further study include 1) review of the total data set, numbering over 1300 patients in 2 years;2) de-duplication of the data set to eliminate repeat patient encounters as a potential source of confounding;3) collaboration with a faculty biostatistician team for further statistical analysis;and 4) collection and analysis of additional relevant metrics, including restraint use (both f equency and duration), utility of 11 observers, patient insurance status (to aid in quantifying possible financial impact), additional patient demographic data (including age, race, gender, ethnicity), and time of patient presentation to the ED. Conclusion/Implications Integration of psychiatric care into medical settings has been widespread in outpatient environments, but acute models are lacking. Complex psychiatric presentations impede ED workflows and often lead to inadequate care for this vulnerable population. Our jointly administered program that embeds CL Psychiatrists into our academic ED care team has improved and enhanced the care of ED patients presenting with psychiatric concerns as well as operational efficiencies within the department. References 1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2021, April). HCUP Fast Stats. Retrieved from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/faststats/national/inpatienttrendsED.jsp 2. Theriault, K., Rosenheck, R., & Rhee, T. (2020). Increasing Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Conditions in the United States. J Clin Psychiatry, 20m13241. 3. Hooker, E. A., Mallow, P. J., & Oglesby, M. M. (2019). Characteristics and trends of emergency department visits in the United States (2010-2014). J Emerg Med, 344-351. 4. Ding, R., McCarthy, M., Desmond, J., Lee, J., Aronsky, D., & Zeger, S. (2010). Characterizing waiting room time, treatment time, and boarding time in the emergency room using quantile regression. Acad Emerg Med, 813-823. 5. American College of Emergency Physicians. (2014). Polling Survey Results. 6. Zeller, S., Calma, N., & Stone, A. (2014). Effects of a dedicated regional psychiatric emergency service on boarding of psychiatric patients in area emergency departments. West J Emerg Med, 1-6. 7. Nicks, B. A., & Manthey, D. M. (2012). The impact of psychiatric patient boarding in emergency departments. Emerg Med Int.