The medical-psychiatric consultation liaison nurse. Meeting psychosocial needs of medical patients in the acute care setting.
This article focuses on the development of the role of the MPCLN in the acute care setting. The need for such a role clearly exists to meet the complex needs of medical inpatient populations. Patients with primary psychiatric disorders or psychiatric disorders concomitant or secondary to physical disease, as well as the growing elderly population will all require psychiatric interventions. Less than 1% of acute care medical patients receive psychiatric care for psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Implementing the role of the MPCLN would have a positive impact on quality of care, reduced health care costs, decreased patient LOS, and nursing satisfaction.
Shahinpour
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Department of Medical Nursing, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Il 60612.
Hollinger-Smith
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L
Perlia
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MA
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D002641:Chicago; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration*