2026/07/29 by Jason L. Zhang, Thomas Axnick, Jasmine Elliot
paper · doi:10.1177/10398562261474432
Objectives To describe the current patterns of physical health assessment for patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit via the emergency department (ED) and identify rates of acute medical concerns arising within the first 7 days of admission. Methods A retrospective service evaluation based on electronic medical records was conducted for patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit between 1 March 2025 and 31 May 2025. Results There were 141 patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit via the ED during the study period. Prior to admission, 88 (62%) had a documented physical health assessment, 124 (88%) had a complete set of vital signs, 48 (34%) received physical examination of at least one system, 49 (35%) underwent blood testing, 12 (9%) underwent imaging and 13 (9%) had urine dipstick testing. A total of 16 patients (11%) developed acute medical concerns within the first 7 days of admission with 3 patients (2%) requiring transfer out of the psychiatric unit for acute medical treatment. Conclusions Despite variability in ED physical health assessments prior to admission, acute medical deterioration requiring transfer from the inpatient psychiatric unit was uncommon.