NUBE 2024

Over the last 5 years, the Pediatric Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry Service at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital has developed a 24/7 Social Work service that specializes in the spectrum of emergency department psychiatric services in the Children's Emergency Department. Prior to development of this service, patients had longer wait times and  multiple transitions in their care to receive a psychiatric assessment. Social work has partnered with advanced practice providers to support with psychiatric assessment, brief interventions, safety planning, coordinating psychiatric disposition, and completing post-discharge follow-up calls in the Children's Emergency Department setting. The 24/7 model was implemented in phases with close supervision, training, and partnership with medical and psychiatric providers. Additionally, emphasis was placed on utilizing a Zero Suicide approach to ensure evidence based best practices were implemented and promoted in the service. This talk will review strategies to develop a model that provides collaborative, safe, and innovative care that leverages the special skills of each profession. Development of the service also included focus on engaging non-psychiatric staff including building buy-in, care pathways, education, and utilizing a continuous learning healthcare model. Social work has a unique training and background in providing care to diverse populations and integrating culturally informed care into evaluation and intervention.

Learning Objectives:

Distinguish roles of specialty psychiatric providers in a medical emergency department.

Identify key training resources to develop staff with specialized skills to deliver psychiatric care in a medical setting.

Assess the impact of a psychiatric collaborative care model in a Children's Emergency Department.