1. 'Hospital was the Only Option': Experiences of Frequent Emergency Department Users in Mental Health
- Author
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Daniel Pauly, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Stephen W. Hwang, Deborah Wise-Harris, Deborah Kahan, and Jason Tan de Bibiana
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Urban Population ,Substance-Related Disorders ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Health Status ,Population ,Health informatics ,Health administration ,Interviews as Topic ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Qualitative Research ,media_common ,education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Mental Disorders ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,030208 emergency & critical care medicine ,Emergency department ,Middle Aged ,Mental illness ,medicine.disease ,Mental health ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Feeling ,Female ,Medical emergency ,Pshychiatric Mental Health ,business ,Emergency Service, Hospital - Abstract
The experiences of individuals with mental illness and addictions who frequently present to hospital emergency departments (EDs) have rarely been explored. This study reports findings from self-reported, quantitative surveys (n = 166) and in-depth, qualitative interviews (n = 20) with frequent ED users with mental health and/or substance use challenges in a large urban centre. Participants presented to hospital for mental health (35 %), alcohol/drug use (21 %), and physical health (39 %) concerns and described their ED visits as unavoidable and appropriate, despite feeling stigmatized by hospital personnel and being discharged without expected treatment. Supporting this population may require alternative service models and attention to staff training in both acute and community settings.
- Published
- 2016