Persons with serious mental illnesses suffer excess medical morbidity compared to the general population. This RCT aimed to determine whether navigators are effective in helping patients connect to primary care after psychiatric crisis. Adults presenting for emergency care were randomly assigned to a navigator versus usual care. Navigators facilitated access to primary care. Outcomes were connection rates to medical care and the impact of health insurance, hospitalization and mental health care on primary care attendance. After 1 year, the intervention group was statistically more likely to access care, versus controls (62.4 vs. 37.6%, P < .001). Navigators were effective in helping patients connect to primary care after a psychiatric crisis. Improved access to primary care is important given the complex chronic health problems of this vulnerable cohort.
This project assessed the impact of a community-based educational program on breast cancer knowledge and screening among Buffalo (NY) immigrant and refugee females. Program participants completed language-matched pre- and post-test assessments during a single session educational program; breast cancer screening information was obtained from the mobile mammography unit to which participants were referred. Pre- and post-test knowledge scores were compared to assess changes in responses to each of the six individual knowledge items, as well as overall. Mammogram records were reviewed to identify Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) scores. The proportion of correct responses to each of the six knowledge items increased significantly on the post-program assessments; 33 % of women >40 years old completed mammograms. The findings suggest that a health education program for immigrant and refugee women, delivered in community-based settings and involving interpreters, can enhance breast cancer knowledge and lead to improvements in mammography completion.
PURPOSE Patients with serious psychiatric problems experience diffi culty accessing primary care. The goals of this study were to assess whether care managers improved access and to understand patients' experiences with health care after a psychiatric crisis.METHODS A total of 175 consecutive patients seeking care in a psychiatric emergency department were randomly assigned to an intervention group with care managers or a control group. Brief, semistructured interviews about health care encounters were conducted at baseline and 1 year later. Five raters, using the content-driven, immersion-crystallization approach, analyzed 112 baseline and year-end interviews from 28 participants in each group. The main outcomes were patients' responses about their care experiences, connections with primary care, and integration of medical and mental health care. Scores for physical function and mental function were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTSAt baseline, most participants described negative experiences in receiving care and emphasized the importance of listening, sensitivity, and respect. Fully 71% of patients in the intervention group said that having a care manager to assist them with primary care connections was benefi cial. Patients in the intervention group had signifi cantly better physical and mental function than their counterparts in the control group at 6 months (P = .03 for each) but not at 12 months. There was also a trend toward functional improvement over the course of the study in the intervention group.CONCLUSIONS This analysis suggests that care management is effective in helping patients access primary care after a psychiatric crisis. It provides evidence on and insight into how care may be delivered more effectively for this population. Future work should assess the sustainability of care connections and longer-term patient health outcomes. Ann Fam Med 2008;6:38-43. DOI: 10.1370/afm.760. INTRODUCTIONP atients with serious mental illness have medical comorbidity and may not receive adequate primary care; they have impaired physical and emotional health and use the emergency department rather than the primary care setting. [1][2][3] There is evidence that even if individuals with serious mental illness have a regular source of primary care, they may not access services because of a lack of coordination between mental and medical health care. 4,5 Primary care is of value to patients with behavioral disorders. In one study, patients with psychiatric disorders viewed primary care as the cornerstone for both their physical and mental health care; they emphasized continuity of care and listening skills as critical components. 6 Getting connected to the physician, however, may pose a problem for patients with serious mental illness who are emerging from psychiatric crisis. Responsiveness of the treatment system and collaboration between mental health and primary care systems can enhance communication between medical and mental health care professionals and positively affect PR IM A RY ...
The opportunity for medical students to work with refugees in the provision of health care presents many opportunities for students, including lessons in communication, and scope to learn about other cultures and practise basic health care skills. An important issue to consider is the power differential between those working in medicine and patients who are refugees. To avoid reinforcing stereotypes, medical programmes and medical school curricula can incorporate efforts to promote reflection on provider attitudes, beliefs and biases.
Background: Patients presenting with a psychiatric emergency face a unique set of challenges in connecting to primary care.Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that, in contrast to usual care, case management will result in higher rates of connection to primary care. We examined variables affecting primary care entry, including insurance status, hospital admission, and concurrent linkages to mental health care.Research Design/Methods: This article reports on a preliminary outcome of an ongoing randomized controlled trial conducted with 101 patients presenting in an urban psychiatric setting. Patients were randomized to a case management team or to usual care. The need for medical care was assessed by documenting medical comorbidity.Results: Average age of the sample was 37.5; 65% were male, and 78% had low income; 37% were African American and 9% were Hispanic. Within 3 months of study enrollment, 57% of the intervention group was successfully linked to primary care compared with 16% of the usual care group, a difference that was statistically significant (P < .001). Associated positive predictors for linkage to primary care included mental health care visits and success in obtaining health insurance. Inpatient hospital stay at the time of psychiatric crisis was negatively associated with later attendance at primary care.
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