A survey of emergency department psychiatric services

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the methods by which emergency departments (EDs) manage clients who present with psychiatric and substance abuse issues.MethodA brief survey solicited information from the ED administrators of all nonfederal acute care hospitals in two states to determine the extent to which emergency department psychiatric emergency service (EDPES) structures vary and to identify factors that influence EDPES arrangement decisions.ResultsFindings confirm that significant structural variations exist, and they suggest that a hospital's decision on the management of ED psychiatric cases is associated with environmental and organizational characteristics, as well as with perceptions of the feasibility, affordability and quality of service.ConclusionFurther research is needed to identify best-practice standards to enable EDPES to provide optimal patient and organizational outcomes.