Informing the development of care pathways for psychiatric emergencies

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Using record linkage analysis to inform the development of an improved care pathway(s) for psychiatric and self-harm emergencies currently transferred by ambulance to Emergency Departments.

• IRAS ID

  183289

• Contact name

  Edward AS Duncan

• Contact email

  edward.duncan@stir.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Stirling

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 11 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  Psychiatric emergencies, and episodes of self-harm, accounted for over 30,000 Scottish ambulance call-outs in 2011. The overwhelming majority of these people were taken directly to Emergency Departments (ED). There is mounting evidence and substantial concern that many of these people do not currently receive the most appropriate management and are at increased risk of suicide and repeat ED attendance. Evidence from other ambulance care pathways suggests that it is likely that mortality and morbidity levels for this patient group could be improved, and the service burden to ED reduced.
  
  This study will be supported by the national electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS) of the NHS Information Services Division (ISD), Scotland. eDRIS encompasses ISD’s record linkage services made available to researchers via the Farr Institute, Edinburgh.

  This study will analyse anonymised routinely available data from the Unscheduled Care Datamart to inform the development of an improved care pathway(s) intervention. This includes data from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), Emergency Departments; and General and Mental Health inpatient settings.

  The study findings will be used to inform future care planning policy and practice and research. An improved care pathway(s) intervention will developed using the study's findings and provide the basis of future grant applications for pragmatic trials of its effectiveness.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/EM/0260

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Jun 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion