Summary
Background
Behavioural health patients often have longer lengths of stay in the emergency department
compared with general medical patients, and their modalities of care are not well
documented. This study's purpose is to describe US emergency nurses’ estimates of
lengths of stay for behavioural health patients, explore factors affecting length
of stay, and assess nurses’ perceptions of their skills, beliefs/attitudes, and confidence
in caring for this population.
Methods
Using a mixed-methods design with demographically-diverse samples of emergency nurses,
survey data (N = 1229) were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and linear
regression. Focus group participant data (N = 20) were analysed for themes using constant comparison.
Results
Findings suggest that shorter lengths of stay are associated with higher levels of
perceived nursing confidence/preparation to care for this population, along with the
availability of appropriate resources and protocols/standards of care (p = 0.01). Longer lengths of stay are associated with an absence of dedicated inpatient
space for managing the care of these patients.
Conclusions
Participants note a lack of education, resources, and treatment options tailored to
the delivery of safe, effective care for behavioural health patients. The use of trained
specialists and additional guidelines/protocols may help move patients through the
emergency department faster and with greater surety.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 29, 2015
Accepted:
March 25,
2015
Received in revised form:
March 25,
2015
Received:
October 3,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
