Services Details

Most general hospital emergency departments don’t take highly agitated or violent patients; they do not have an in-house round-the-clock psychiatrist to manage

Most general hospital emergency departments don’t take highly agitated or violent patients; they do not have an in-house round-the-clock psychiatrist for managing these cases.

OM Hospital is the ONLY hospital in Visakhapatnam providing 24-hour exclusive emergency
psychiatry services by trained qualified psychiatrists.

• There is an increase in patients presenting to emergency departments with acute psychiatric crises.
• Although acute psychiatric crises qualify as medical emergencies, the general hospital emergency department might not be the best location of care for these cases.
• What is needed is a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program in the context and location of a stand-alone psychiatric hospital, as most of the general hospital emergency units don’t take the most acute and highly agitated or violent patients.  
• The problem is further compounded when such a violent patient has a comorbid physical illness. 
• Om Hospital emergency department consists of qualified Psychiatrists and trained Nursing staff working 365 days. 
• The only 24 hour exclusive emergency and consultation-liaison psychiatry department in the city manned by qualified psychiatrists round the clock.

To address these treatment gaps, we have started the Comprehensive Emergency Psychiatry Program (CPEP) at Om Hospital, by establishing an Emergency and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Department. 

The main purpose and functions of CPEP at Om Hospital:

1. Excluding medical aetiologies of symptoms and ensuring medical stability
2. Rapidly stabilise the acute crisis
3. Avoid coercion
4. Treat in the least restrictive setting
5. Form a therapeutic alliance
6. Formulate an appropriate aftercare plan
7. The Emergency Department works round the clock and accepts the patients 24/7 x 365 days 
8. It is staffed at all times by a psychiatrist, nurses, and other ancillary staff trained to handle any psychiatric and medical emergency. 
9. The psychiatric emergency department at Om Hospital works in close interaction with the High Dependency medical unit which also operates 24/7 and is staffed with an Intensivist/physician and other supporting staff and located in the same premises.
10. Those who are stabilised in an emergency room if required are admitted into the inpatient unit of the hospital.

The role of standalone psychiatric emergency services as safe, efficient and patient-centred facilities is well documented across the world and the CPEP at Om Hospital provides the much-needed service in the area of Emergency psychiatry.

SCOPE OF SERVICES :

• The only 24-hour exclusive emergency and consultation-liaison psychiatry department in the city manned by qualified psychiatrists round the clock
• Management of psychiatric emergencies including Aggression, Suicidality, Drug withdrawal or intoxication Medical emergencies presenting with behavioural symptoms. 
• Availability of observation facility at nominal charges in the emergency psychiatry department itself.
• Liaison with attached ICU with visiting specialists from all departments for diagnosis and management of behavioural emergencies due to underlying physical conditions.
• Management of mild to moderate medical comorbidities in patients with psychiatric problems. 
• Liaison with 2 general hospitals for Management of severe medical comorbidities with staff from our hospital visiting these centres thereby enhancing continuity of care.
• Visits to various general hospitals to assess psychiatric emergencies and a need for shifting to our specialist psychiatric centre.
• Availability of a depot injection clinic for administration of long-acting injectable medications.