title: Improving access to acute mental health services in a general hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a paucity of service research on the effectiveness of short-term mental health clinics.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To outline the development of the Urgent Consultation Clinic (UCC), an inter-professional, short-term, mental health program in a general hospital, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the UCC from a quality improvement perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 143) completed a battery of validated measures assessing psychological and physical symptoms, quality of life, life satisfaction, and satisfaction with services at three time-points. Inter-professional team members rated participants' overall functioning and severity of mental health problems at intake and termination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median time from referral to initial UCC visit was 12 days. A significant decline in the severity of mental health symptoms was observed, with 87% of participants reporting clinically elevated symptoms at intake compared to 71% at termination. Significant improvements were observed in life satisfaction, overall functioning, and mental quality of life. Sixty-nine percent of participants rated the quality of services as good or excellent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The UCC model of care contributed to improved access to psychiatric evaluation and short-term treatment. This inter-professional model could be applied to other health care settings to meet the needs of patients requiring acute psychiatric services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. jkowal@ottawahospital.on.ca
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kowal
authors.forename: J Robert
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Swenson
authors.forename: Tim D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.forename: Hannah Davis
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Marchand
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macphee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult