TY - JOUR
KW - Communication
KW - Continuity of Patient Care
KW - Disease Management
KW - Humans
KW - Mental Health Services/organization & administration
KW - Patient Discharge
KW - Primary Health Care/organization & administration
KW - Quality of Health Care
KW - Referral and Consultation
AU - J. Durbin
AU - J. Barnsley
AU - B. Finlayson
AU - L. Jaakkimainen
AU - E. Lin
AU - W. Berta
AU - J. McMurray
A1 - 
AB - In managing treatment for persons with mental illness, the primary care physician (PCP) needs to communicate with mental health (MH) professionals in various settings over time to provide appropriate management and continuity of care. However, effective communication between PCPs and MH specialists is often poor. The present study reviewed evidence on the quality of information transfer between PCPs and specialist MH providers for referral requests and after inpatient discharge. Twenty-three audit studies were identified that assessed the quality of content and nine that assessed strategies to improve quality. Results indicated that rates of item reporting were variable. Within the limited evidence on interventions to improve quality, use of structured forms showed positive results. Follow-up work can identify a minimum set of items to include in information transfers, along with item definitions and structures for holding this information. Then, methodologies for measuring data quality, including electronically generated performance metrics, can be developed.
BT - The journal of behavioral health services & research
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 4
CY - United States
DO - 10.1007/s11414-012-9288-9
IS - 4
JF - The journal of behavioral health services & research
N2 - In managing treatment for persons with mental illness, the primary care physician (PCP) needs to communicate with mental health (MH) professionals in various settings over time to provide appropriate management and continuity of care. However, effective communication between PCPs and MH specialists is often poor. The present study reviewed evidence on the quality of information transfer between PCPs and specialist MH providers for referral requests and after inpatient discharge. Twenty-three audit studies were identified that assessed the quality of content and nine that assessed strategies to improve quality. Results indicated that rates of item reporting were variable. Within the limited evidence on interventions to improve quality, use of structured forms showed positive results. Follow-up work can identify a minimum set of items to include in information transfers, along with item definitions and structures for holding this information. Then, methodologies for measuring data quality, including electronically generated performance metrics, can be developed.
PP - United States
PY - 2012
SN - 1556-3308
SP - 445
EP - 461
EP - 
T1 - Quality of communication between primary health care and mental health care: an examination of referral and discharge letters
T2 - The journal of behavioral health services & research
TI - Quality of communication between primary health care and mental health care: an examination of referral and discharge letters
U1 - Education & Workforce
U2 - 22855384
U3 - 10.1007/s11414-012-9288-9
VL - 39
VO - 1556-3308
Y1 - 2012
ER -