Gender differences in police encounters among persons with and without serious mental illness.

Objective: This study examined the rates, patterns, and types of police contacts among men and women with and without serious mental illness.

Methods: Data on type of contact, type and number of offenses, dispositions, and repeat offenses were extracted from an administrative database of all police encounters in a midsized Canadian city over a six-year period (N=767,365).

Results: Men and women with serious mental illness represented, respectively, .

Interhospital transfer of critically ill patients: demographic and outcomes comparison with nontransferred intensive care unit patients.

Purpose: We examined the association between access to intensive care services and mortality in a cohort of critically ill patients.

Materials And Methods: We conducted an observational study involving 6298 consecutive admissions to the intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care hospital. Data including demographics, admission source, and outcomes were collected on all patients.

Mental health triage in the ER: a qualitative study.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The London Health Sciences Centre found that its emergency room (ER) mental health services were affected by people presenting with problems that did not require psychiatric intervention. Consequently, a second triage using a crisis worker (CW) was introduced in the ER to identify those persons with mental illness (PMI) who presented for social stressors related to housing, finances and legal issues. A qualitative, process evaluation study was conducted to capture experiences and perceptions of the new triage and CW.

Pretrial court diversion of people with mental illness.

Court diversion is a method of administering justice compassionately for persons with mental illness (PMI). Evidence-based practices of this intervention were identified by reviewing the existing literature. Findings suggest that: (a) formal case finding procedures are important for the early identification of mentally ill offenders in need of services, (b) stable housing enhances the possibility that the divertee will remain in regular contact with her or his treatment provider, and (c) active case management improves compliance and reduces the likelihood of recidivism.

Sampling bias in an international internet survey of diversion programs in the criminal justice system.

Despite advances in the storage and retrieval of information within health care systems, health researchers conducting surveys for evaluations still face technical barriers that may lead to sampling bias. The authors describe their experience in administering a Web-based, international survey to English-speaking countries. Identifying the sample was a multistage effort involving (a) searching for published e-mail addresses, (b) conducting Web searches for publicly funded agencies, and (c) performing literature searches, personal contacts, and extensive Internet searches for individuals.