Abstract
This article presents findings from the first phase
of a two-part study that examined the knowledge
and experience of emergency department (ED) staff
who work with people with mental health needs.
In the first part of the study, 19 semi-structured
interviews were conducted with multidisciplinary
team (MDT) members and the results were analysed.
The interviews covered the ED environment,
participants’ attitudes towards, ability to
communicate with, and knowledge and experience
of patients with mental health needs. One of the
study’s main findings was that MDT members require
more appropriate training to raise their awareness
of issues related to mental health. The findings
informed the development of a questionnaire,
which was distributed to a large cohort of ED staff
and social workers.
Keywords
Multidisciplinary team, mental health needs, education