Utilization of Peer Support Specialists as a Model of Emergency Psychiatric Care.

Individuals with mental health conditions are increasingly presenting to emergency departments (EDs) for mental health treatment and crisis stabilization. Several factors contribute to this trend, including increasing numbers of individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions and limited availability of psychiatric providers. Models of care exist within EDs and in off-site settings to serve this population. Many of these models have shown promising outcomes, particularly in off-site settings. Opportunities now exist to improve care of patients with psychiatric emergencies within EDs by the effective use of peer support specialists (PSSs). Such use of PSSs within EDs has shown promising recovery-related outcomes. The current article describes a hospital in suburban Chicago that recently implemented the use of PSSs in their ED. Preliminary outcomes are summarized, and opportunities to optimize the use of PSSs in ED settings are discussed. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 59(5), 33-37.].

Steps to Achieve Universal Suicide Screening in Emergency Departments: A Call to Action.

American individuals attempt suicide at alarmingly high rates of approximately 1.1 million times per year. Yet the United States has failed to adopt a systematic approach to suicide prevention, particularly via universal screening. Given the increasing number of individuals with suicidal ideation presenting to emergency departments (EDs), all patients who present to the ED for treatment should be screened, as opposed to only individuals with mental health complaints. In the current article, barriers to suicide screening in the ED are discussed, as well as strategies to move ED providers toward the goal of universal screening. The current article entreats nurses to be leaders in achieving universal screening and provides practical actions to begin the process. Specific recommendations for action include improving training, increasing lethal means assessment, and achieving compliance with The Joint Commission suicide screening guidelines. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(10), 21-26.].

Evaluating an Alternative to the Emergency Department for Adults in Mental Health Crisis.

Adults with mental health issues lack clinically indicated options when in crisis. Historically, the emergency department (ED) has been the primary source of intervention largely due to funding cuts and decreased community resources in the USA. The literature highlights drastic mental health funding cuts alongside an increased prevalence of mental illness. A community-based alternative for adults in mental health crises was subsequently developed as a model of crisis care. The program has demonstrated impressive short-term outcomes, typically avoiding ED admissions in over 95% of the clients. This number benefits both the consumers who otherwise rely on the ED and the State of Illinois in terms of cost savings for avoidable ED visits. The current deflection rate only reflects ED admissions deflected on the day of the visit to the crisis respite program. To establish the long-term outcomes for this model, follow-up phone calls were conducted to determine whether or not the individual required an ED visit for a psychiatric reason within 30 days of utilization of the program. The follow-up phone calls began in May and continued for eight weeks. At this time, the data collected were analyzed and the outcomes of the program were further evaluated. Based on the follow-up survey results, the positive long-term outcomes validate this model as a cost-saving and clinically indicated alternative to the ED. Establishing such outcomes was necessary to ensure continued funding and to support establishment of similar models of crisis care.

A recovery-oriented alternative to hospital emergency departments for persons in emotional distress: "the living room".

Persons with severe mental illness experience episodic crises, resulting in frequent visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs). EDs, however, are not the most effective treatment environments for these individuals who might better be served elsewhere in an environment based on recovery-oriented framework. The purpose of this study is to describe the lived experience of guests (persons in emotional distress) and staff (counselors, psychiatric nurses, and peer counselors) of a community, recovery-oriented, alternative crisis intervention environment-The Living Room (TLR). The total sample is comprised of 18 participants. An existential phenomenological approach was used for this qualitative, descriptive, study. Through non-directive in-depth interviews, participants were asked to describe what stands out to them about The Living Room. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and systematically analyzed using descriptive phenomenological methods of analysis by an interdisciplinary and community-based participatory research team. Participants' experiences in hospital EDs and inpatient psychiatric units contextualized the phenomenological experience of TLR environment. The final thematic structure of the experience of TLR included the following predominant themes: A Safe Harbor, At Home with Uncomfortable Feelings, and It's a Helping, No Judging Zone. Findings from this qualitative study of a recovery-based alternative to hospital EDs for persons in emotional distress are supported by anecdotal and empirical evidence that suggests that non-clinical care settings are perceived as helpful and positive.