Objective: To review the literature on common issues impacting psychiatric patient flow in emergency departments (EDs) and to explore evidence-based solutions proposed to improve patient flow.
Methods: The review was divided into three parts and a broad array of keywords were chosen to achieve greater depth in the review. Administrative data and organisational publications were included along with peer-reviewed articles in various databases.
Results: Psychiatric patients have increased ED length of stay (EDLOS) and the proportion of psychiatric presentations in ED has increased significantly.1 Several factors contributed to increased EDLOS. Introduction of psychiatric short stay units,2 improving patient flow3 and appropriate increase in beds were identified as some of the possible solutions to improve patient flow.
Conclusion: Psychiatric patient flow in ED is a complex issue and needs a coordinated approach to improve access. Future studies should focus on understanding the effectiveness of some of the proposed strategies.
Keywords: emergency department; length of stay; patient flow; psychiatric short stay unit.