Association Between Telepsychiatry Capability and Treatment of Patients With Mental Illness in the Emergency Department

What is it about?

We studied the association between telepsychiatry adoption on treatment of patients with mental illness in the emergency department (ED). We found that telepsychiatry was associated with fewer medical/surgery admissions, increased psychiatry admissions, and a higher likelihood of a prolonged ED length of stay. These changes may reflect higher quality of care if consulting psychiatrists identified more patients requiring inpatient psychiatric care who would have otherwise been discharged from the ED.

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