Guidelines reduce time to consultation for a liaison psychiatry service in an Irish teaching hospital

Abstract

Background: Timeliness of response from referral to consultation is necessary to provide best standards of care to inpatients in the general hospital setting. Aims: To measure the length of time from referral to consultation in a liaison psychiatry service, and improve service delivery by introducing guidelines for time to consultation. Methods: Time to consultation was measured on all patients presenting to a liaison psychiatry consultation service over an initial 6-month period, with subsequent repeat measurement following the introduction of guidelines. Results: There were significant reductions for time to consultation in the service for the second cycle of the audit (χ 2 = 43.84, P<0.00..