Protocol for mental health in the ED

[debbiet]

I am working on a practicum project for school on mental health protocol. is anyone familiar with a protocol that they would like to share with me. I work in a rural hospital that has merged within the last year and we are seeing an increased numver of mental health patients of all ages. We try and keep these patients closely wachted but in a busy ED we do not always have good luck and we have no standard or protocol in place. I would loive it if you have ideas or a protocol to share.

thanks,

debbiet

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I am an ER nurse in large level I trauma center. With the de-institutionalization of mental health patients, we see a tremendouse amount of mental health pts too. If they are suicidal (ODs, obviously suicidal, etc.), we have security watch them from the hall. Most of the time, they have family members with them and the family members bring them to us for help. That's how we handle it.

Personally, we have a 16 1/2 y/o son with mental illness (severe). He has been hospitalized x3 in the last nine months. The adolescent pysch unit is at another hospital outside my insurance option, so I either have to bring him to my er, have him evaluated and transferred or get him to be a direct admit.