Patients with psychiatric illness or complaints present significant malpractice risk to clinicians working in the acute care setting. The potential for error and liability begins when the patient shows up, continues during the medical clearance and psychiatric evaluation process, and extends beyond the patient’s discharge. The number of patients presenting to the Emergency Department with psychiatric symptoms has been increasing in the last few years. In the U.S., psychiatric or substance use related complaints are the primary reasons for the ED visit is estimated to be 14.7% of adult and 1.6% of pediatric populations. The number of patients presenting with covert or undiagnosed psychiatric illness is up to 45% of all ED patients. What this means for clinicians is a potential for increased risk as they strive to deliver the best possible care to patients with mental illness. It is not news to most practitioners that this group of patients is a challenge to care for in any healthcare setting. However, these patients pose a particular challenge to acute care providers who have no long-term relationship or rapport with them. In these settings where the history is sometimes limited, the exam is not totally reliable and the follow-up is not always guaranteed, there is an increased risk of errors, misdiagnoses, adverse outcomes, complications, and even death soon after discharge.
In this activity, we present evidence-based medical and legal literature and cases related to the incidence and etiology of mental illness, the overlap of medical with psychiatric illness, the medical clearance process, delirium and dementia, documentation, and cognitive errors in psychiatric diagnosis. After completing this activity, practitioners should be able to: differentiate medical from psychiatric etiology for patients who present with psychiatric symptoms; exercise clinical judgment to determine the need for laboratory testing for patients with psychiatric presentations; and use an evidence-based protocol to perform and document the process of medical clearance for patients with psychiatric presentations.
- Provider:The Sullivan Group
- Activity Link: https://www.thesullivangroup.com/RSQSolutions/course-purchase-home/
- Start Date: 2023-10-03 05:00:00
- End Date: 2023-10-03 05:00:00
- Credit Details: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™️: 2.0 hours
- Commercial Support: No
- Activity Type: Enduring Material
- CME Finder Type: Online Learning
- Fee to Participate: Variable
- Measured Outcome: Learner Competence, Learner Knowledge, Learner Performance, Patient Health
- Provider Ship: Directly Provided
- Registration: Open to all