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Table 2 Summary of themes and subthemes identified from the interviews with clinicians regarding management of mental health presentations in the emergency department

From: Staff perceptions of the management of mental health presentations to the emergency department of a rural Australian hospital: qualitative study

Theme

Subtheme

Clinician perceptions of mental health patients in ED

â—‹ Mental health patients in ED as disruptive and a cause of stress/concern

â—‹ Impact of stigma on mental health patient care

Challenges in current management practices in this ED

â—‹ Mental health patient management is a challenge in terms of balancing efficiency, security, patient care

â—‹ Defensive practice of medicine

â—‹ Inappropriateness of ED in mental health patient management

â—‹ Views of safe room in ED

â—‹ Breadth of mental health and the issues it creates with triage of mental health patients

â—‹ Limitations of current referral pathways and limited after hours support

â—‹ Long wait times for definitive management for mental health patients in ED

Importance of mental health expertise availability in this ED

â—‹ Lack of mental health expertise in ED affects system efficiency

â—‹ Critical need for mental health liaison nurse in the ED

â—‹ Afterhours patient management

â—‹ Need for on-call psychiatrist

ED staff experience of training in mental health

â—‹ Practical experience with mental health patients improves confidence

â—‹ Desire for more in-hospital training at this facility

â—‹ Lack of mental health training at this facility

â—‹ Barriers to further training in mental health