"Hospital was the only option": Experiences of frequent emergency department users in mental health.
Abstract
The experiences of individuals with mental illness and addictions who frequently present to hospital emergency departments (EDs) have rarely been explored. This study reports findings from self-reported, quantitative surveys (n = 166) and in-depth, qualitative interviews (n = 20) with frequent ED users with mental health and/or substance use challenges in a large urban centre. Participants presented to hospital for mental health (35 %), alcohol/drug use (21 %), and physical health (39 %) concerns and described their ED visits as unavoidable and appropriate, despite feeling stigmatized by hospital personnel and being discharged without expected treatment. Supporting this population may require alternative service models and attention to staff training in both acute and community settings.
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When structurally disadvantaged patients seek care at the ED, the chances of experiencing negative judgements or stigmatization are high.
“when patients who are structurally disadvantaged seek care at the ED, the chances of experiencing negative judgements or stigmatization are high [53–55].”
From Using a health equity lens to measure patient experiences of care in diverse health care settings (2024) · cites this paper as [55]
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- Authors
- Wise-Harris, D., Pauly, D., Kahan, D., Tan de Bibiana, J., Hwang, S. W., & Stergiopoulos, V.
- Affiliations
- St. Michael's Hospital (CA)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Stergiopoulos, Vicky
- Venue
- Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research
- Published
- 2016-03-09
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 405-412
- ISSN
- 0894-587X (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3289
- OpenAlex
- W2295360223
- Cited by
- 126
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 8.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Toronto Mental Health and Addictions Acute Care Alliance
- Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
- Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Emergency and Acute Care Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- frequent emergency department users, mental illness, substance use disorders, alcohol consumption, drug use, emergency department, patient experience, stigma, employee training, community mental health services
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Mental Disorders, Emergency Service, Hospital, Female, Health Status, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Urban Population, Substance-Related Disorders, Qualitative Research
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