P070: Mental health consultations for emergency department patients in crisis: Insights into quality improvement opportunities from a multicenter analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Mental health and addiction presentations are on the increase in Canadian Emergency Departments (EDs) and are placing strains on existing resources. The purpose of this study is to examine practice variations and opportunities for improved mental health (MH) consultation practices across four adult EDs. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of administrative data from Alberta Health Services (AHS) at urban Calgary Zone EDs from 2015 to 2018 regarding MH consults requested and patients admitted to inpatient psych. Individual MD and overall referral rates as well as admission rates for patients consulted to MH were considered. Time of day and patient ETOH level were also examined as potential influencing factors. CEDIS codes were used to identify MH complaints. Results: 73,536 MH related visits were included, 29,228 received a MH consult with 10,648 admitted to an inpatient MH unit (36.4%). The admission rate among consults requested varied considerably among the 200 MDs who evaluated more than 50 patients with MH complaints; median 35.9%, IQR – 25.0 to 47.5. The average consultation rate for ETOH positive patients was 28.4% median 26.35%, IQR – 21.2 to 35.0% During regular working hours (08:00-17:00), there were 33,599 MH visits, 15,035 received a psych consult with 5,976 admitted to an inpatient MH unit. The admission rate among consults was 39.8%. For the remaining hours(17:01-07:59) there were 39,939 MH visits, 14,191 received a psych consult with 4,672 admitted to an inpatient MH unit. The admission rate among consults was 32.9%. Conclusion: Varying MD thresholds for MH consultation are reflected in a wide range of admission rates among patients consulted for MH evaluation in the ED. ETOH and timing of presentation are factors which modulate the likelihood of admission. There may be opportunities to improve MH referrals from the ED by providing consultation feedback to providers.