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A short report of satisfaction levels amongst Irish trainees in psychiatry with out of hours and emergency assessments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2020

D. O’Donovan ,
J. McGrane ,
H. Barry ,
M. Cannon  and
D. Cotter
D. O’Donovan*
Affiliation:
Old Age Psychiatry, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin 4, Ireland
J. McGrane
Affiliation:
CAMHS North East City, Dublin 1, Ireland
H. Barry
Affiliation:
Liaison Psychiatry, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
M. Cannon
Affiliation:
Liaison Psychiatry, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
D. Cotter
Affiliation:
Liaison Psychiatry, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr D. O’Donovan, Carew House, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. (Email: davidodonovan@outlook.com)
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Abstract

Objectives:

On-call and crisis psychiatry is a very challenging aspect of psychiatric training. This study aimed to describe the experiences of psychiatric trainees on-call in hospitals, emergency departments and psychiatric units in Ireland.

Methods:

In total, 193 psychiatric trainees in Ireland were emailed a survey in 2017. The survey included questions regarding the duties expected of the trainee, frequency of on-call obligations, un-rostered hours worked, level of senior support, assessment facilities available and doctors’ satisfaction with the on-call experience.

Results:

Overall, 68 trainees responded to the survey. In total, 35% of respondents reported dissatisfaction with their experience of on-call and crisis psychiatry, 46% reported that they were not provided with training in risk assessment and 21% of respondents stated that there was not a suitable room available to perform their assessments.

Conclusions:

This survey has raised important issues facing those on the frontline of psychiatric services in Ireland. Of particular concern are resource issues faced by trainees and the need for further training and support related to risk assessment when on-call. Remedying these issues may lead to a decreased rate of dropout as well as a safer and better environment for patients and doctors alike.

Keywords

TraineeEmergencyPsychiatryCrisisOn-CallAssessments
Type
Short Report
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , June 2023 , pp. 249 - 253
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

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