Urgent Mental Health Appointment after Emergency Department Visits: A Mixed-Method Implementation Evaluation Study.

Background: As part of a clinical trial, four Canadian pediatric emergency departments (EDs) offered an urgent appointment to mental and behavioural health patients being discharged. Objective: To investigate facilitators, constraints, and fidelity in delivery of the urgent appointments. Method: A m...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 84 - 103
Autores principales: Shulhan-Kilroy, Jocelyn, Thull-Freedman, Jennifer, Chorney, Jill, Clark, Sharon, Katz, Laurence Y., Freedman, Stephen B., Newton, Amanda S.
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aug2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=196644217&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 196644217
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        17198429
        785M
      jtl: Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
      issn: 17198429
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Aug2026
      vid: 35
      iid: 2
      pid: 42044
      pub: Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
      place: Ottawa, Ontario
    artinfo:
      ui:
        196644217
        196644217
        196644217
        196644217
      ppf: 84
      ppct: 19
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Urgent Mental Health Appointment after Emergency Department Visits: A Mixed-Method Implementation Evaluation Study.
      aug:
        au:
          Shulhan-Kilroy, Jocelyn
          Thull-Freedman, Jennifer
          Chorney, Jill
          Clark, Sharon
          Katz, Laurence Y.
          Freedman, Stephen B.
          Newton, Amanda S.
        affil: Departments of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
      sug:
        subj:
          Appointments and Schedules
          Mental Health Services Utilization
          Emergency Room Visits
          Program Evaluation
          Mental Disorders Therapy
          Implementation Science
          Human
          Funding Source
          Canada
          Male
          Female
          Multimethod Studies
          Surveys
          Descriptive Statistics
          Interviews
          Risk Assessment
          Goals and Objectives
          Documentation
          Outpatient Service
          Personnel Staffing and Scheduling
          Scope of Practice
          Continuity of Patient Care
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: As part of a clinical trial, four Canadian pediatric emergency departments (EDs) offered an urgent appointment to mental and behavioural health patients being discharged. Objective: To investigate facilitators, constraints, and fidelity in delivery of the urgent appointments. Method: A mixed-method study using concurrent triangulation design was conducted (September 2023 - March 2024). Nineteen of 24 eligible appointment providers completed an online survey to rate how frequently they demonstrated 15 tasks and stances (content fidelity) in appointments. Time-to-appointment, attendance, and duration data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Virtual interviews were conducted with 21 appointment providers or appointment managers and implementation personnel and were coded using template analysis to understand factors affecting appointment implementation. Results: The use of risk assessments, working with goals and tasks, and relational and curious approaches were frequently reported (74-89% of providers always completed the component). Diagnostic considerations, along with take-home and documentation tasks, had lower use (42-47% of providers always completed). The median time for appointments was within the 96-hour target, with most children attending (ED setting=423/427; outpatient setting=77/88), and appointment length usually met the expected 60-minute duration (range: 45-90 minutes). Appointment scheduling, staffing, scope of practice, and training were identified as challenges to delivery, while ongoing feedback mechanisms and quality improvement strategies served as facilitators. Conclusions: Content fidelity was high for common mental health care practices but lower for more specialized content. Appointment metrics including attendance, duration, and time to appointment demonstrated moderate to high fidelity. Targeted training, feedback, and quality improvement activities are recommended for implementing urgent appointments in other settings.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N