Title

A national survey of mobile crisis services and their evaluation

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry

Publication Date

1995-09-01

Document Type

Article

Subjects

Community Mental Health Services; distribution; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Crisis Intervention; Emergency Services, Psychiatric; distribution; Humans; Mobile Health Units; Quality of Health Care; Questionnaires; United States

Disciplines

Health Services Research | Mental and Social Health | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Although mobile crisis services have been widely accepted as an effective approach to emergency service delivery, no systematic studies have documented the prevalence or effectiveness of these services. This survey gathered national data on the use and evaluation of mobile crisis services.

METHODS: In 1993 mental health agencies in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories were surveyed. Repeated follow-up was done to ensure a 100 percent response.

RESULTS: A total of 39 states have implemented mobile crisis services, dispatching teams to a range of settings. Although respondents reported that use of mobile crisis services is associated with favorable outcomes for patients and families and with lower hospitalization rates, the survey found that few service systems collect evaluative data on the effectiveness of these services.

CONCLUSIONS: The claims of efficacy made for mobile crisis services, which have led to their widespread dissemination, are based on little or no empirical evidence. More rigorous evaluation of new and existing modes of service delivery is needed. The need for such evaluation will increase in the climate promulgated by managed care, in which greater emphasis is placed on cost-effectiveness.

Source

Psychiatr Serv. 1995 Sep;46(9):893-7.

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)

Related Resources

Link to Article in PubMed

PubMed ID

7583498

Link to Full Text

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