The Academy’s Board has approved formation of another special interest group.
The Critical Care Psychiatry SIG is chaired by José Maldonado, MD, FACLP, chief, Critical Care Psychiatry Service, Stanford University.
“Historically, C-L Psychiatry services have provided disproportionally fewer consults to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting compared with more conventional inpatient environments,” he says.
“However, critically ill patients represent a high-yield target for psychiatric intervention, as they routinely have comorbid psychiatric and substance use diagnoses, are frequently exposed to pharmacotherapy regimens familiar to C-L psychiatrists, and exhibit symptoms and conditions which are commonly managed by psychiatric providers.”
Furthermore, he adds, targeted interventions to provide early psychiatric intervention to critically ill patients demonstrate reductions in length of stay, leading to substantial financial savings given the high cost associated with the ICU environment.
Qualitative studies of such interventions also demonstrate they are well-received by ICU providers and decrease perceptions of burnout among ICU team members.
To join this or another SIG, visit the Academy website here.