Coercion During Psychiatric Ambulance Versus Police Transport in Mental Health Crises: A Pre- and Postimplementation Study.

Objective: Police officers are often the first responders when individuals experience a mental health crisis and typically remain responsible for transport to a psychiatric emergency department. In 2014, a psychiatric ambulance (PA) was introduced in the city of Amsterdam to take over the transport of individuals in a mental health crisis. The purpose of the PA was to use fewer restrictive measures while guaranteeing safety for both patients and personnel.