St George Acute Care Team: the local variant of crisis resolution model of care

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe functioning and clinical activities of the St George Acute Care Team and how it compares to the typical crisis resolution model of care. Methods: Descriptive data including demographics, sources of referral, type of clinical intervention, length of stay, diagnoses and outcomes were collected from records of all patients who were discharged from the team during a 10 week period. Results: There were 677 referrals. The team’s functions consisted of post-discharge follow-up (31%), triage and intake (30%), case management support (23%) and acute community based assessment and treatment (16%). The average length of stay was 5 days. The majority of patients were diagnosed with a mood (23%) or a psychotic (25%) disorder. Points of contrast to other reported crisis resolution teams include shorter length of stay, relatively less focus on direct clinical assessment and more telephone follow-up and triage. Conclusion: St George Acute Care Team provides a variety of clinical activities. The focus has shifted away from the original model of crisis resolution care to meet local and governmental requirements.