Improving Mental Health Care in Emergency Departments

This assignment involves a critical evaluation of a research paper on emergency department care for mental health patients. The study highlights the importance of implementing triage systems to quickly diagnose and provide better treatment for mentally ill patients in emergency departments. The researchers propose various principles for improving mental health care in these settings, including the use of technology to enhance face-to-face services. The assignment requires a detailed analysis of the research paper and an evaluation of its findings in the context of current literature on mental health care reform.

Emergency department from
the mental health clients
perspective

INTRODUCTION
The aim of this critique paper is to advocate for improved services, preventive and
comprehensive psychiatric care in emergency department. As the landscape of mental health
services from last few decades, has much improved that provide effective care to psychiatric
patients. Concerning on most severe as well as chronic mental health related problems,
emergence department of pharmaceutical therapies has shifted care to outpatient setting.
Therefore, being centred on asylum and long-term care of patients, mental health system care
system has become more decentralised, community-based and fragmented array of ill-people
(Taylor & Gibson, 2016). The paper hereby taken, is written by Anat Drach-Zahavy who has
made investigation to determine the concept of mindful triage. It also describes some practical
interventions of this system to identify if short communication open access has improved the
quality of care services, within emergency department of mental health centre.
Under this research paper, the author mainly described how Triage, an initial assessment
of mentally retarted individuals presented at emergency department, help in diagnosing current
state of them. For this purpose, some principles have been given in this scholarly article. In this
regard, main aim of present assignment is to critically analyse the merits and drawbacks aspects
of authors’ perspective.
CRITIQUE
According to the article given by Anat, it has been evaluated that emergency department
within mental asylum faces growing demands, longer waiting timss and rising acuteness (Short
Communication Open Access Mindful Triage: Improving the Quality of Care of Patients with
Mental Illness in the Emergency Department, 2019). In this regard, people make complaint that
ill-patients sometime sent back to the queue and their concerns are not considered seriously. This
societal stigma has affected their care in emergency department that sometime leads to cause
death. Therefore, to improve this system it becomes essential for long-centred mental institutions
to implement effective, efficient as well as accurate triage systems become crucial (Leland & et.
al., 2017). Triage refers to initial assessment of mental patients who admitted in ED, to diagnose
and prioritize the current state of such patients as quickly and accurately as possible, so that
proper treatment can be given on time.

For implementing this effective triage system within asylum, it is crucial for management of
health care sectors, to develop a professional team. Here, in this team, medical practitioners
should be capable to identify the precise clinical priorities of patients in ED, for providing right
care within short period of time. Despite the complex, unpredictable and dynamic working
environment, above may lead to reduce negatively impact the prognosis. As per views of Manias
& et. al. (2016), it has been evaluated that due to increasing presentations at emergency
department, which include over 40% of patients having no urgency leads to affect condition of
those patients, who requires immediate response. Henceforth, precise triage becomes complex
while handling the admissions of psychiatric patients. For this purpose, focusing on effectiveness
of mindfulness of triage system, investigators have described some principles with a case study.
It is based on a mental patient admitted within emergency department having breathlessness
issue (Schout & et. al., 2017). In this case, triage team have evaluated that patient belongs from
vulnerable society. They have diagnosed that suffered person had a chronic or panic attack.
In this regard, first principal of triage system is based on reluctance to easy interpretation. It
highlights mainly the cognitive failure of triage system, where health practitioners had made
mind that patient having mental issues have probably no serious issues (Slovak, Pope & Brewer,
2016). The second principle concerns on sensitivity of operations, i.e. triage team avoids to
identify cause for admission in emergency of mental ill patients, that results in affecting
condition of patients negatively. Commitment to resilience is third principle that describes how
triage team members were influenced through framing cognitive failure and avoid to give
commitment for resilience. Similarly, defence to expertise and preoccupation with failure are
fourth and fifth principles respectively. Both defines err in providing effective health care
services to metal patients within emergency department. As per perception of Wood & et. al.
(2016), it has been evaluated that the most positive aspect of this investigated report is
highlighting the consequences of easily interpretation of mental patients who are admitted in
emergency department of asylum. Examples or case study has been connected in entire parts
where health practitioners fail to provide proper treatment of time to patients in ED. Here, five
principles help in understanding the step-by-step procedure where cognitive failure can be
occurred.
To analyse consequence of such ignorance and simplifying interpretation about critical
condition of patients, investigators under their research paper, have given various principles for

the same. But they fail to provide any statistical figure through which seriousness of this case can
be measured. In this regard, through opinion of Treloar & et. al. (2016), it has reflected that the
main drawback of this report is that it fails to conduct an in-depth analysis on triage system
within mental healthcare sectors. There is no authenticate evidence or statistical figure has been
provided, which showcase whether services are improved within emergency department. By
implementing mindful in triage system, if quality of mental health services is really improved or
not, is not explained in appropriate manner. Along with this, as this research paper has strongly
argued that mindfulness in triage system increases the ‘ability for being more engaged in
purposeful as well as self-regulatory judgement (Orlowski & et. al., 2016). But, there is not much
practical interventions have been given that proves effectiveness of the same. It gives generalise
information only regarding to improve quality of health care practices for mental patients within
emergency department. Therefore, it has recommended to researchers to use effective data
analysis technique while gathering information. Along with this, they need to carry more detailed
analysis on chosen topic to get higher and better outcomes. For this purpose, they can use
quantitative research technique to apply statistical method for obtaining valid result.
CONCLUSION
By critically evaluation of given research paper, it has been concluded that there are
many reasons present within emergency department, where any carelessness results to cause
death of patients. In health and social care sectors, major attention in emergency department to
given to those patients who might get accidents, diabetic or chronic pain. While patients who are
admitted because of mental issues gain relatively less attention and proper quality of health care
services. To analyse consequence of such ignorance and simplifying interpretation about critical
condition of patients, investigators under their research paper, have given various principles for
the same. In order to give proper and timely treatment to mentally-ill patients, it is essential for
organisations deal in mental health asylum to implement triage system. This would help in
diagnosing the mental health issue more quickly so that better treatment can be provided.

REFERENCES
Leland, N. E. & et. al. (2017). Occupational therapy and management of multiple chronic
conditions in the context of health care reform. American Journal of Occupational
Therapy. 71(1). 7101090010p1-7101090010p6.
Manias, E. & et. al. (2016). Perspectives of clinical handover processes: a multi‐site survey
across different health professionals. Journal of clinical nursing. 25(1-2). 80-91.
Orlowski, S. & et. al. (2016). A rural youth consumer perspective of technology to enhance face-
to-face mental health services. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 25(10). 3066-3075.
Schout, G. & et. al. (2017). The use of family group conferences in mental health: Barriers for
implementation. Journal of Social Work. 17(1). 52-70.
Slovak, K., Pope, N. D., & Brewer, T. W. (2016). Geriatric case managers’ perspectives on
suicide among community-dwelling older adults. Journal of gerontological social
work. 59(1). 3-15.
Taylor, J. V., & Gibson, D. M. (2016). Crisis on campus: eating disorder intervention from a
developmental-ecological perspective. Journal of American College Health. 64(3). 251-
255.
Treloar, C. & et. al. (2016). Trust and people who inject drugs: The perspectives of clients and
staff of Needle Syringe Programs. International Journal of Drug Policy. 27. 138-145.
Wood, M. D. & et. al. (2016). Mental Modeling Approach. Springer-Verlag New York.
Online
Short Communication Open Access Mindful Triage: Improving the Quality of Care of Patients
with Mental Illness in the Emergency Department. 2019. [Online] Available Through:<
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/mindful-triage-improving-the-quality-of-care-
of-patients-with-mentalillness-in-the-emergency-department-1522-4821-1000333.php?
aid=76586>.