Aust Health Rev. 2023 Aug;47(4):519. doi: 10.1071/AH22229_CO.
Objective This study aimed to identify factors associated with an emergency department (ED) length of stay ≥4 hours (h) and hospital admission for people with a mental health problem brought in by police. Methods We undertook a retrospective, observational cohort study of state-wide adult ED mental health presentations brought in by police from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2017. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with an ED length of stay ≥4 h and hospital admission. Results In total, 9325 ED presentations with a mental health problem brought in by police to Queensland EDs were included. Factors most strongly associated with an ED length of stay ≥4 h included an Australasian Triage Score (ATS) of 1, an age of 85 years or older, night shift arrival and subsequent hospital admission. For hospital admission, an ATS of 1, an age of 85 years or older and an ED length of stay ≥4 h were the strongest factors. Conclusion Findings indicate opportunities for targeted mental health models of care to better support people brought in by police to an ED. Such models should involve ED, pre-hospital providers (police and ambulance) and mental health services to support early intervention and potentially reduce the likelihood of a long ED length of stay and subsequent hospital admission.
目的 本研究旨在确定与因心理健康问题被警察送进急诊部（ED）且停留时间≥4 小时（h）和住院相关的因素。
方法 我们对 2012 年 1 月 1 日至 2017 年 12 月 31 日期间，全州范围内因心理健康问题被警察送进 ED 的成年患者进行了回顾性、观察性队列研究。我们使用多变量逻辑回归来确定与 ED 停留时间≥4 小时和住院相关的因素。
结果 共纳入了 9325 例因心理健康问题被警察送进昆士兰州 ED 的患者。与 ED 停留时间≥4 小时最相关的因素包括澳大利亚分诊评分（ATS）为 1、年龄在 85 岁及以上、夜间轮班到达和随后的住院。对于住院，ATS 为 1、年龄在 85 岁及以上和 ED 停留时间≥4 小时是最强的因素。
结论 研究结果表明，有针对性的心理健康护理模式有机会更好地支持被警察送进 ED 的患者。这些模式应涉及 ED、院前提供者（警察和救护车）和心理健康服务，以支持早期干预，并可能降低 ED 停留时间延长和随后住院的可能性。
