Care of Behavioral Health Patients in the Emergency Department Topic Brief-Care of Behavioral Health Patients in the Emergency Department Topic Brief

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This document is a summary of a white paper published by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) on the care of behavioral health (BH) patients in the emergency department (ED). The paper highlights the challenges faced by ED staff in caring for BH patients, including inadequate educational preparation, lack of confidence, shortage of services and treatment options, ED crowding, and lack of clear guidelines. The paper reviews current research literature and summarizes findings in the following categories: staff and patient attitudes, triage of psychiatric patients, ED management of psychiatric patients, length of stay, and pediatric and adolescent emergency patients. <br /><br />The paper identifies factors that lower the quality of BH care and calls for consistent guidelines, improved education and training of ED staff, and better resources. It highlights the importance of de-escalation techniques in managing aggressive and violent behavior and suggests that the role of a dedicated psychiatric emergency nurse can improve patient care and staff satisfaction. Prolonged lengths of stay have detrimental effects on BH patients, particularly pediatric and active psychosis patients. The lack of a common language to describe BH symptoms and findings contributes to inconsistency in treatment and disposition recommendations. More research is needed to improve triage prioritization tools for BH emergencies. The paper concludes by summarizing its findings and providing recommendations for practice and research. Overall, the paper emphasizes the need for improved knowledge, resources, and guidelines to provide consistent and effective care to BH patients in the ED.

Meta Tag

behavioral health mental health

behavioral health psychiatric

behavioral health crowding

behavioral health boarding

behavioral health isolation

behavioral health deescalation

behavioral health stigma

Keywords

Emergency Nurses Association

behavioral health patients

emergency department

ED staff

educational preparation

treatment options

ED crowding

clear guidelines

staff and patient attitudes

triage of psychiatric patients