Ambrose H Wong, Bidisha Nath, Dhruvil Shah, Anusha Kumar, Morgan Brinker, Isaac V Faustino, Michael Boyce, James D Dziura, Rebekah Heckmann, Kimberly A Yonkers, Steven L Bernstein, Karthik Adapa, Richard Andrew Taylor, Polina Ovchinnikova, Terika McCall, Edward R Melnick
INTRODUCTION: The burden of mental health-related visits to emergency departments (EDs) is growing, and agitation episodes are prevalent with such visits. Best practice guidance from experts recommends early assessment of at-risk populations and pre-emptive intervention using de-escalation techniques to prevent agitation. Time pressure, fluctuating work demands, and other systems-related factors pose challenges to efficient decision-making and adoption of best practice recommendations during an unfolding behavioural crisis...
February 19, 2024: BMJ Open