Resident Workflow and Psychiatric Emergency Consultation: Identifying Factors for Quality Improvement in a Training Environment.

Objective: Quality improvement to optimize workflow has the potential to mitigate resident burnout and enhance patient care. This study applied mixed methods to identify factors that enhance or impede workflow for residents performing emergency psychiatric consultations.

Methods: The study population consisted of all psychiatry program residents (55 eligible, 42 participating) at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles.

Substance abuse in emergency department patients with unexplained syncope.

Current data suggest that up to 60 % of patients presenting to the ED with syncope leave the hospital without a defined etiology. Although a relationship between syncope and substance abuse has been described, no study to date has looked at the relationship between syncope of unknown etiology and substance abuse in patients presenting to the ED. The objective of the study was to determine whether a history of or current substance abuse is associated with an increased incidence of syncope of unknown etiology in ED patients.

The prevalence of psychiatric disease in emergency department patients with unexplained syncope.

Current data suggest that up to 60 % of patients presenting to the emergency department with syncope leave the hospital without a defined etiology. Prior studies suggest a prevalence of psychiatric disease as high as 26 % in patients with syncope of unknown etiology. The objective of this study was to determine whether psychiatric disease is associated with an increased incidence of syncope of unknown etiology.