Assessment of a Unit-Level Acuity Tool in Inpatient Psychiatry.

Assessing acuity is deemed essential to staffing in intensive care nursing; however, it has not received sufficient attention in inpatient psychiatry, where acuity can fluctuate greatly within shifts. Staffing and admission decisions rely on the accuracy of this information. The current mixed methods study surveyed nurses from two hospitals within the same hospital system: one using an acuity tool and one naïve to acuity tools.

Comparative effectiveness of standard versus patient-centered collaborative care interventions for depression among African Americans in primary care settings: the BRIDGE Study.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of standard and patient-centered, culturally tailored collaborative care (CC) interventions for African American patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) over 12 months of follow-up.

Data Sources/study Setting: Twenty-seven primary care clinicians and 132 African American patients with MDD in urban community-based practices in Maryland and Delaware.

Study Design: Cluster randomized trial with patient-level, intent-to-treat analyses.

A cluster randomized trial of standard quality improvement versus patient-centered interventions to enhance depression care for African Americans in the primary care setting: study protocol NCT00243425.

Background: Several studies document disparities in access to care and quality of care for depression for African Americans. Research suggests that patient attitudes and clinician communication behaviors may contribute to these disparities. Evidence links patient-centered care to improvements in mental health outcomes; therefore, quality improvement interventions that enhance this dimension of care are promising strategies to improve treatment and outcomes of depression among African Americans.