Dissertation
Improving a psychiatric outpatient intake process: exploring a decision tree tool
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
22 May 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001521
Abstract
Background: The occurrence of mental health illnesses has been on the rise. Barrier's individuals face when seeking mental health services include costs, undersized mental health workforce, poor referral system, and appointment and treatment accessibility (Green & Savin, 2008). Problem: A local outpatient psychiatric practice faced challenges with its intake process meeting the demand of appointment requests. Practice administrators identified a problem with its intake form process, revealing that patient service needs, and provider specialty were being increasingly mismatched resulting in delay of treatment and often leading to outside referral services. Methods: Applying the FOCUS-PDCA QI model, a team of key stakeholders identified, evaluated, and implemented necessary changes to the intake process. Intervention: The team utilized knowledge discovered through evidence appraisal supporting the implementation of decision aid tools within the intake form to assist patients when faced with decision-making throughout the intake process. Results: During 6 weeks of the QI project, data were collected and analyzed in three phases and the intake tool was revised twice to address patient feedback and patient-provider mismatches. At the end of the cycle, process and outcome measure were analyzed and both demonstrated that the final revised intake tool had a positive impact on patient to provider service matching and patient's satisfaction with use of the tool. Conclusions: Use of patient decision aids help patients be better informed and should be considered in more areas of practice.
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Details
- Title
- Improving a psychiatric outpatient intake process
- Creators
- Deanna J. Palacios
- Contributors
- Patti Rager Zuzelo (DNP Chair)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 40 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctoral Nursing; Nursing (Graduate); College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991020220771604721