EmPATH unit

{{Short description|American psychiatric emergency unit}}EmPATH unit (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) is an acronym for a specialized hospital-based emergency department or outpatient medical observation unit dedicated to mental health emergencies. Unlike standard emergency departments, EmPATH units gather their patients in chairs in a central room called a milieu.{{cite news |last1=Gorman |first1=Anna |title=She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/21/health/psychiatric-ers-mental-health-partner/index.html |access-date=1 January 2022 |work=Health News Florida |agency=Kaiser Health News |publisher=WUSF |date=March 25, 2019 |ref=wusf}}{{cite news |last1=Ojeda |first1=Hillary |title=University of Iowa Crisis Stabilization Unit challenges convention |url=https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2019/04/12/new-psychiatric-crisis-unit-iowa-city-creating-improved-outcomes/3446650002/ |access-date=1 January 2022 |work=Iowa City Press-Citizen |publisher=Gannett Co. |date=April 12, 2019 |ref=ojeda}}{{cite web |last1=Lockwood |first1=James |title=EmPATH Units: Improving Psychiatric Emergency Care |url=https://www.bwbr.com/empath-units-improving-psychiatric-emergency-care/ |website=bwbr.com |date=13 October 2020 |publisher=BWBR Architects |access-date=1 January 2022 |ref=bwbr}}

EmPATH units were developed as a response to US emergency department overcrowding as large numbers of mental health patients were waiting for hours or days until they could be transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/10/18/sickest-psychiatric-patients-wait-the-longest-in-emergency-rooms-survey-shows/ |title=Psychiatric patients wait the longest in emergency rooms, survey shows |date=2021-10-26 |orig-date=2016-10-18 |author1=Amy Ellis Nutt |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}{{WaPoCheckDates}}{{Cite journal|url=https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.21.0217|title=Emergency Department Crowding: The Canary in the Health Care System|date=September 28, 2021|journal=NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery|via=catalyst.nejm.org|doi=10.1056/cat.21.0217|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |last1=D |first1=Kelengabor |last2=M |first2=Millsangela |last3=A |first3=Sternsusan |last4=C |first4=Wadmanmichael |last5=E |first5=Sokolovepeter |volume=2 |issue=5 }}

Moving psychiatric patients to a separate area for specialized emergency care opens emergency department beds for patients with medical emergencies and avoids the more confined structure of a standard emergency department which has been cited as a potential cause of worsening psychiatric patient symptoms.{{Cite journal|title=The impact of psychiatric patient boarding in emergency departments|first1=B. A.|last1=Nicks|first2=D. M.|last2=Manthey|date=March 8, 2012|journal=Emergency Medicine International|volume=2012|pages=360308|doi=10.1155/2012/360308|pmid=22888437|pmc=3408670|doi-access=free }} The open design of the EmPATH unit allows patients to move about freely, helping reduce stress.{{cite magazine | magazine=Minnesota Medicine | issue=September/October 2021 | title=Empath: A new approach to mental health crisis | last=Picone | first=Linda | url=https://www.mnmed.org/getattachment/news-and-publications/mn-medicine-magazine/Past-Issues/Past-Issues-2021/Sept-Oct-2021/Feature_Picone-SeptOct.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US | format=pdf}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-one-mental-health-solution-a-kinder-gentler-emergency-department-for/|title=One mental health solution: a kinder, gentler emergency department for people considering suicide|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=July 19, 2020|via=www.theglobeandmail.com}} A study of the EmPATH unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has shown that patients need shorter stays, less inpatient care, and return to hospital less frequently.{{Cite journal|title=Emergency psychiatric assessment, treatment, and healing (EmPATH) unit decreases hospital admission for patients presenting with suicidal ideation in rural America|first1=Allison K.|last1=Kim|first2=J. Priyanka|last2=Vakkalanka|first3=Paul|last3=Van Heukelom|first4=Jodi|last4=Tate|first5=Sangil|last5=Lee|date=February 8, 2022|journal=Academic Emergency Medicine|volume=29|issue=2|pages=142–149|doi=10.1111/acem.14374|pmid=34403550|pmc=8850530}} Other hospitals' EmPATH units have reported fewer than 25% of psychiatric emergency patients still require inpatient care after an EmPATH stay.{{cite web |last1=Holmen |first1=Kenneth |title=Your Turn: Pandemic innovation in mental health and addiction care must not stop |url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2022/04/11/your-turn-innovation-mental-health-addiction-care-must-continue/9503347002/ |website=St. Cloud Times |access-date=12 April 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2022/01/28/beth-heinz-what-m-health-fairview-is-learning-from-its-new-emergency-mental-health-unit/|title=Beth Heinz: What M Health Fairview is learning from its new emergency mental-health unit|date=January 28, 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/23/virginia-mental-health-hospitals-restore-services/ |title=Virginia's mental health hospitals must be restored |date=2021-07-23 |orig-date=2021-07-22 |author1=Marian Huber |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}{{WaPoCheckDates}}{{Cite web|last=Gray |first=Callan|url=https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/m-health-fairviews-new-approach-to-mental-health-crises-shows-reduction-in-hospital-admissions/|title=M Health Fairview's new approach to mental health crises shows reduction in hospital admissions|date=October 13, 2021}}

In their "Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System", The National Council for Mental Wellbeing stated that there should be at least one EmPATH unit in every mental health system.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/roadmap-to-the-ideal-crisis-system/|title=Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System|website=National Council|date=27 March 2021 }}