How can wait times be minimized for emergency department patients presenting with mental health issues as their primary concern?

From the Research

To minimize emergency department wait times for mental health patients, hospitals should prioritize the implementation of dedicated psychiatric assessment teams and separate mental health assessment areas, as highlighted in the most recent study 1. This approach can quickly triage and evaluate mental health patients upon arrival, preventing them from being placed in the general queue where medical emergencies often take priority. Key strategies to reduce wait times include:

• Implementing standardized screening tools like the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale or the PHQ-9 to quickly identify high-risk patients
• Developing clear protocols for common psychiatric emergencies such as suicidal ideation, acute psychosis, or severe anxiety
• Creating direct admission pathways to inpatient psychiatric units or crisis stabilization centers
• Integrating electronic health records across systems to enable faster access to patients' psychiatric history and current medications
• Providing mental health education and training for all emergency department staff, as emphasized in the study 1
• Employing specialist and lived experience workers to support more therapeutic relationships and emergency department environments, as recommended in the study 1. The study 1 highlights the need for increased investment in mental health systems to manage the current crisis and ensure future sustainability, which is crucial in minimizing wait times and improving patient outcomes. By prioritizing these strategies, hospitals can reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes by ensuring timely and appropriate mental health care during crisis situations. Additionally, the study 2 suggests that increasing timely access to inpatient beds for mental health patients and improving access to insurance that covers inpatient psychiatric care can also help reduce wait times. However, the most recent and highest-quality study 1 provides the most relevant and up-to-date guidance on minimizing wait times for mental health patients in emergency departments.