Changing characteristics of a Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre. An eight year follow-up study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to report changes in characteristics of admissions to an established Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) eight years after its opening.

Method: Key clinical characteristics of admissions to the PECC were documented for 327 patients in 2015 and compared with the 477 patients in 2007, which is when the centre first opened. The characteristics of admission were evaluated using an audit of medical records from June to December in both 2007 and 2015.

Predictors of the length of stay in a psychiatric emergency care centre.

Objective: This paper aims to ascertain predictors of the length of stay in a Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC).

Methods: Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded retrospectively via file audit in 477 patients who were admitted to a PECC within a six-month period. Associations between these variables and length of stay were analysed using logistic regression.

Characteristics of admissions to a recently opened Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre.

Objective: The Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) is a relatively recent service development that aims to improve emergency care of psychiatric patients. The goal of this paper was to report on the characteristics of admissions to a recently established PECC.

Method: Several key characteristics of admissions to the PECC were documented for each of 376 patients in the first 6 months of its operation.