Healthcare organizations are increasingly tasked with implementing change initiatives that improve the patient experience and target priorities such as Emergency Department (ED) volumes. This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a collaborative protocol between the Niagara Health System and the Niagara Regional Police Service that resulted in a 57% reduction in police wait times in the ED. Six critical success factors contributed to the outcomes that were achieved and are detailed for those organizations interested in engaging in a similar change initiative.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
LundyVMorinPP. Project leadership influences resistance to change: The case of the Canadian public service. Proj Manag J. 2013;44(4):45–64.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21355.
2.
RansdellGA. Personal reflections on leadership for change: An invited article. Int J Leadership Change. 2014;2(1):1–8. Available at:http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijlc/vol2/iss1/1. Accessed November 6, 2014.
MerrellP. Effective change management: The simple truth. Manag Serv. 2012;56(2):20.
5.
GroysbergBSlindM. Leadership is a conversation. Harvard Bus Rev. 2012;90(6):76–84.
6.
MacPheeMChangLLeeDSpiriW. Global healthcare leadership development: Trends to consider. J Healthc Leader. 2013;5:22–29. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S23010.
7.
BrännmarkMBennS. A proposed model for evaluating the sustainability of continuous change programmes. J Change Manag. 2012;12(2):231–245. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2012.672449.
AltzemaCLSchullMJKurdyakP. Wait times in the emergency department for patients with mental illness. CMAJ. 2012;184(18):E969–E976. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.111043.
11.
LlewellinPArendtsGWeedenJPethebridgeA. Involuntary psychiatric attendances at an Australasian emergency department: A comparison of police and healthcare worker initiated presentations. Emerg Med Aust. 2011;23(5):593–599. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2011.01448.x.
12.
SladeEPDixonLBSemmelS. Trends in the duration of emergency department visits, 2001-2006. Psychiatr Serv. 2010;61(9):878–884. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.61.9.878.
13.
ClarkeDEDusomeDHughesL. Emergency department from the mental health client’s perspective. Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2007;16(2):126–131.
14.
LambHRWeinbergerLEDeCuirWJ. The police and mental health. Am Psychiatr Assoc. 2002;53(10):1266–1271.
GerdtzMFWeilandTJelinekGAMackinlayCHillN. Perspectives of emergency department staff on the triage of mental health-related presentations: Implications for education, policy and practice. Emerg Med Aust. 2012;24(5):492–500. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2012.01592.x.
17.
LeeSBruneroSFairbrotherGCowanD. Profiling police presentations of mental health consumers to an emergency department. Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2008;17:311–316. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0349.2008.00553.x.
18.
WoodenMAirTMSchraderGDWielandBGoldneyRD. Frequent attenders with mental disorders at a general hospital emergency department. Emerg Med Aust. 2009;21(3):191–195. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2009.01181.x.
19.
KnottJCPlebanATaylorDCastleD. Management of mental health patients attending Victorian emergency departments. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2007;41(9):759–767.
Niagara Health System and Niagara Regional Police Service. Mental Health Act Apprehension and Care of Persons in Custody Protocol. St Catharines, Ontario, Canada: Author; 2014.
22.
HoffmanRE. Development of the interRAI brief mental health screener to enhance the ability of police officers to identify persons with serious mental disorder.The University of Waterloo Library Database. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7497.2013. Accessed November 6, 2014.
