Understanding Psychiatric Emergencies
Author Information
Author(s): Yves Chaput, Michel Paradis, Lucie Beaulieu, Édith Labonté
Primary Institution: McGill University
Hypothesis
What do psychiatrists consider to be a psychiatric emergency?
Conclusion
Psychiatrists primarily consider visits with behavioral disturbances and suicidal ideation as pertinent and urgent.
Supporting Evidence
- 57% of visits were judged pertinent and urgent.
- Behavioral disturbances were key indicators for urgent assessments.
- Legal confinement was mostly seen in visits tagged as pertinent and urgent.
Takeaway
Doctors think a psychiatric emergency is when someone is acting very upset or thinking about hurting themselves. They look at what is happening to decide if it's really urgent.
Methodology
Data from over 22,000 psychiatric emergency service visits were assessed for pertinence and urgency by psychiatrists across four different services.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the subjective interpretation of what constitutes a psychiatric emergency by different psychiatrists.
Limitations
The study's findings may not be generalizable due to site-specific factors and the subjective nature of the assessments.
Participant Demographics
Adult patients visiting psychiatric emergency services in Quebec, Canada.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% confidence intervals were constructed.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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