title: Using Mental Health Outreach Teams in the Emergency Department to Improve Engagement in Treatment.
abstract: Engagement in treatment for a person having a behavioral health crisis is critical to fully address the concerns of the individual as well as to prevent future crises. This study explored the benefits of establishing outreach visits from a local community mental health provider to psychiatric patients in an emergency department. Using retrospective analysis of data collected by a local mental health agency, the effect of receiving face to face contact in the emergency room with a community mental health worker (and/or telephone follow up) was compared to no outreach interaction. The effect of this intervention was a significant increase in initial appointment attendance at the local mental health clinic in the aftermath of a psychiatric crisis. Community mental health services provided in partnership with community emergency departments may improve patient engagement in aftercare and consequently help alleviate future behavioral health crises as well as return visits to the emergency department.
authors.affiliation: LSU-OLOL Psychiatry Residency Program, LSUHSC Medical Education and Innovation Center, LSU Health Baton Rouge, 5246 Brittany Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA. Jboud1@lsuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Jason G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Boudreaux
authors.affiliation: LSU-OLOL Psychiatry Residency Program, LSUHSC Medical Education and Innovation Center, LSU Health Baton Rouge, 5246 Brittany Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Crapanzano
authors.affiliation: LSU-OLOL Psychiatry Residency Program, LSUHSC Medical Education and Innovation Center, LSU Health Baton Rouge, 5246 Brittany Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA.|Emergency Medicine Residency Program, LSU Health Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Glenn N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Residency Program, LSU Health Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Jeider
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Residency Program, LSU Health Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Vincent H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.affiliation: Capital Area Human Services District, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Marianne J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.affiliation: Capital Area Human Services District, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kasofsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Community mental health services; Mental health outreach; Mobile support team; Organization and delivery of care; Psychiatric emergencies; Psychiatric emergency service; Psychiatric services in the Emergency Department