Short-term efficacy of interventions by a youth crisis team.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the impact of an outpatient psychiatric Emergency Room Follow-up Team (ERFUT) on the hospitalization rate of youth in crisis (mostly suicidal adolescents).


METHODS
The rate of psychiatric admissions of youth to a general pediatric hospital during a year prior to the ERFUT creation was compared to that same rate after the team's creation. The proportion of patients returning to the Emergency Room (ER) 2 or more times was also compared for those same years. Deaths were identified at 3-year follow-up for the experimental group.


RESULTS
A 16% reduction in the hospitalization rate followed the team's creation, without an increase in the proportion of patients returning to the ER. Also, none of the experimental group subjects had died at 3-year follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a subpopulation of previously hospitalized suicidal adolescents who can be effectively cared for as outpatients when treated rapidly and intensively.
Greenfield
B
B
Department of Psychiatry, Montreal Children's Hospital, Quebec.
Hechtman
L
L
Tremblay
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000092864:Suicide Prevention