Understanding mental health care experiences in the emergency department using a human factors approach
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Hospital emergency departments (EDs) play a critical role in providing acute psychiatric care, however mental health patients and staff report poor care experiences. This study used an ED work domain analysis (WDA), as a framework for understanding care delivery experiences for mental health patients and epistemic experts. Interviews with 29 patients and 16 mental health epistemic experts from two Australian metropolitan hospitals revealed key concerns about care delivery. Patients reported issues including poor communication, unnecessarily repetitive assessments, and patient sensory overload in the ED environment. Epistemic experts described inadequacies of the broader mental health care system, including inadequate community follow-up care and a lack of mental health-specific training for staff. Findings suggest targeted interventions to improve system functions, processes, and environmental factors, ultimately enhancing patient care. Future research can apply this WDA model to other hospitals to improve ED experiences for mental health patients.
Source: Ergonomics
Authors: Phoebe Gray, Elizabeth Austin, Colleen Cheek, Lieke Richardson, Emilie Francis-Auton, Nema Hayba, Robyn Clay-Williams
Institution: Macquarie University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Medical Research Future Fund
OpenAlex ID: W4414920364