(#8) Project C.C.R.I.S.I.S.: Community-based Crisis Response Intervention Strategies for Interdisciplinary Standardization

Abstract: nurses can be influential leaders working to improve access to care for the over 3.5 million children and adolescents in the United States who need psychiatric care but struggle to access it in traditional healthcare settings. In the United States, approximately 16.5% (7.7 million) of children between the ages of 6-17 have a treatable mental health disorder. Only 50% of those children receive the appropriate mental health care, leading to an increase in acute hospitalizations for crisis events. Community-based psychiatric care programs, such as the Youth Assertive Community Treatment (Youth ACT) programs, represent a novel approach to crisis management for adolescents with complex psychiatric needs that are not appropriate for traditional outpatient programs. However, without adequate supports, staff turnover and strain levels can be quite high-making these programs unsustainable. For this project, a literature review helped to inform crisis management interventions to improve both staff and patient outcomes.Short Description: This practice change initiative aimed to implement and evaluate the impact of provider resources and workflow standardization on perceived provider competence for on-call crisis management. Improvements were found in staff perceived competence, perceived organizational support, and staff turnover. Patient outcomes improved as well, with a reduction in adverse outcomes from psychiatric crisis events.Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): N/A