Improving access to acute mental health services in a general hospital.
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.
Kowal
John
J
Department of Psychology, The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. jkowal@ottawahospital.on.ca
Swenson
J Robert
JR
Aubry
Tim D
TD
Marchand
Hannah Davis
HD
Macphee
Colleen
C
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