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A Potential Solution to America’s Psychiatric Boarding Crisis

ACEP Now

Elizabeth Wharff was the director of emergency psychiatry at Boston’s Children’s Hospital in the late 1990s when she became concerned about what was, then, a new problem. Psychiatric Boarding The practice of psychiatric “boarding”—or keeping patients in the ED, while they wait for inpatient beds—emerged in the mid- to late-90s.

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Agitation Podcast Series Episode 1: Differentiating organic versus psychiatric causes of agitation and altered mental status

PEMBlog

Most children who present to Pediatric Emergency Departments these days with mental health concerns – including agitation – have a known psychiatric problem or diagnosis. Psychiatric manifestations revealing inborn errors of metabolism in adolescents and adults. Psychiatric emergencies.

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Gelastic Seizures: No Laughing Matter

Pediatric EM Morsels

We encounter seizures commonly in the Emergency Department. Striano, 2017 ] Precocious puberty Psychiatric disorders Cognitive difficulties (ex, autism spectrum disorders) May seem simple but become complicated. From the simple febrile seizure to the complex seizure, we know how to stabilize and how to evaluate.

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An Obstetric and Psychiatric Emergency: Managing Acute Agitation Among Pregnant Patients in the Emergency Department

AENJ: Current Issue

Nevertheless, clinicians should continue to assess the patient without delay, differentiate underlying causes of agitation, treat the mother and fetus aggressively, and consult obstetric and psychiatric services early.

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Agitation Treatment in the Emergency Department

ACEP Now

Last month’s article focused on ACEP’s efforts and resources to support EDs and patients with psychiatric emergencies. Emergency departments (EDs) focus on rapid initiation of medical treatment. However, when agitation is due to an underlying psychiatric disorder, SGAs are preferred. Ann Emerg Med.

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Agitation Podcast Series Episode 5: Management of the child with mental health problems who is boarded in the ED

PEMBlog

Thousands of children and adolescents spend days at time in Emergency Departments waiting for definitive mental health disposition. West J Emerg Med. Mental Health Revisits at US Pediatric Emergency Departments. Prolonged emergency department length of stay for US pediatric mental health visits (2005-2015).

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Annals of B Pod: Social EM Corner- Suicide Related Behaviors

Taming the SRU

The patient was notably uninsured due to losing her job six months ago, which prevented her from accessing psychiatric care during that time frame. 1,2] Patients at risk for suicide often interact with emergency medical care. Her sister provided collateral history that the patient had been drinking heavily over the last several days.

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