Through a strong role of Aboriginal practitioners, relationships with Aboriginal communities, and greater service flexibility that embraces cultural meaning and knowledge, YouthLink has sought to enhance its response to the needs of Aboriginal youth.
Background: There is currently an incomplete picture of the long-term impact of homelessness on youth with mental health issues. There are also questions regarding homelessness as a predictor of mental health re-admissions.Aims: To examine the mental health service presentation profile of young people affected by homelessness and mental health issues.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the medical records of homeless (n = 29) and non-homeless (n = 32) youth who attended the YouthLink specialist mental health service in 2010. We tracked their pattern of mental health service admissions at five time points during a total period of 10 years, including 2 years prior to, and up to 8 years following the YouthLink presentation. A regression analysis was used to examine factors hypothesized to contribute to mental health readmissions.Results: Homeless youth had significantly more frequent presentations to inpatient and outpatient mental health services, and emergency departments for mental health reasons. They were 11 times more likely to be re-admitted to a mental health inpatient ward than non-homeless youth. Prior hospital admission was an independent predictor, increasing by a factor of 2.2 for every inpatient admission.
Conclusion:The impact of homelessness on mental health issues is enduring, and is a long-term predictor of hospital re-admission.
The Youth Wraparound model has the potential to offer improved clinical outcomes, significant cost savings over time, improved coordination between care providers, and an alternative to detention or incarceration.
AimNon‐attendance at appointments in youth mental health services is a common problem which contributes to reduced service effectiveness and unmet needs. Reasons cited by young people for non‐attendance are poorly understood. Information derived from short‐message‐service (SMS) conversations about appointments between patients and clinicians can uncover new insights about the circumstances leading to ‘did not attend’ events.MethodsText messages between young people and clinicians were examined in a retrospective audit of medical records in two youth mental health services in Perth, Australia. Frequently non‐attending young people aged 16–24 (n = 40) engaged in 302 SMS message chains about appointments. Mixed methods included quantitative data and qualitative thematic analysis of textual data.ResultsMedical reasons (32/190, 16.8%) and forgetfulness (20/190, 10.5%) were the most frequent reasons for non‐attendance. Major issues included non‐avoidable events while others were potentially preventable and could be addressed by the service.ConclusionsThe analysis of mobile communications in clinical practice can be used for service evaluation and to reveal barriers that impede attendance to ongoing care.
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