Opening the 'black box': liaison psychiatry services and what they actually do. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guthrie, Elspeth; McMeekin, Aaron; Thomasson, Rachel; Khan, Sylvia; Makin, Sally; Shaw, Ben; Longson, Damien
• Is Part Of: BJPsych bulletin. Volume 40:Number 4(2016)
• Page Start: 175
• Page End: 180
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 616.8905
• DOI: 10.1192/pb.bp.115.051771
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2056-4694

Abstract

Abstract : Aims and method: To develop a simple, pragmatic typology to characterise the nature of liaison interventions delivered by a liaison service in a National Health Service setting. We carried out a retrospective electronic case-note review of referrals to a ward-based liaison psychiatry service. Results: Three hundred and forty-four patients were referred to the service over a 12-month period. Ten different types of liaison interventions were identified, with the most common interventions being diagnosis (112 patients, 32.6%), medication management (57 patients, 16.6%), risk assessment and treatment (56 patients, 16.3% each). Mental Health Act work accounted for the greatest number of contacts per patient (median 7). Clinical implications: There are inherent limitations in any single-site observational study, as site-specific results cannot be generalised to other liaison services. The intervention categories we developed, however, are easy to use and will provide a way of comparing and benchmarking the range of interventions delivered by different liaison psychiatry services.