Dr. Louise Doyle

Summary

The Emergency Department is often the first port of call for those who have attempted suicide or have engaged in serious self-harm. For many people, the ED is the only healthcare setting they come into contact with after self-harm as a relatively large number of people are not referred on for specialised mental health services while a significant minority will leave the ED before being formally assessed. It is therefore critical that the person's experience in the ED and the interactions they have with staff there is positive. However, this is not always the case. Although the issue of how service users experience the ED has been explored internationally, we have been unable to find any published studies that explored the experiences of service users who present to Emergency Departments in Ireland following an episode of self-harm. Furthermore, as there is still a significant cohort who leave the ED prior to assessment, it is important to better understand the experience of service users in the ED and whether these experiences are linked to intention to stay for assessment and treatment. This is particularly important for those who present with repeated self-harm which makes up approximately 20% of all self-harm presentations in Ireland and is correlated with completed suicide and increased psychiatric morbidity. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of service users who present to the Emergency Department for treatment of self-harm. Objectives: . To explore service users overall perceptions of care in the Emergency Department following an episode of self-harm; . To specifically explore service users' satisfaction with physical and psychosocial assessment and treatment, discharge referral and after-care, and satisfaction with ED staff; . To identify the reasons those who self-harm leave the Emergency Department before assessment and treatment (this will be a difficult cohort to track and access will have to be negotiated); . To identify how the Emergency Department experience can be improved for service users who self-harm. This aim and objectives are this study are aligned with Goals 4 and 5 of the Irish Suicide Prevention Policy 'Connecting for Life'. Goal 4 aims to enhance accessibility, consistency and care pathways for people vulnerable to suicidal behaviour. This includes the aim to improve psychosocial and psychiatric assessment and care pathways for people vulnerable to suicidal behaviour. Goal 5 aims to ensure safe and high-quality services for people vulnerable to suicide including an aim to improve the response to suicidal behaviour within health and social care services.

Funding Agency

3Ts - Turn the Tide of Suicide

Project Type

Qualitative

Person Months

20

Summary

A multi site study, informed by Normalization theory and designed to identify the cultural and structural/systemic factors within the mental health service that enable and complicate the delivery of the EOLAS programmes and other recovery oriented service reforms. The research findings will serve to inform the ongoing roll-out of EOLAS so as to overcome difficulties, with a view to ensuring the availability of EOLAS throughout all mental health services in the country on an ongoing basis i.e. being sustainably integrated into the standard care package offered to people who experience psychosis and their families, The findings will also help to embed EOLAS as part of the framework of national policies in relation to recovery, service user engagement, family/carer involvement and change management. Research Team Higgins A (PI); Healy D; Doyle L; Monahan ...

Funding Agency

Health Research Board

Programme

Applied Partnership Awards

Project Type

Systematic Review and Qualitative Research

Person Months

24

Summary

Funding Agency

Healthy Trinity

Project Type

Large scale survey

Person Months

24

Summary

Funding Agency

Health Service Executive

Project Type

Qualtiative evaluation

Person Months

10

Summary

Higgins, A. (PI), Doyle, L., Keogh, B., Coyne, I., McCann, E. & Walsh, S. The aim of the study is to explore the experiences, concerns and needs of transgender identified children and young people and to prepare a report on both the process and outcome of the consultation to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA). The objectives of the study are to: (1)dentify the things that make their lives easy and the things that make life hard for transgender identified children and young people;(ii)identify the things that work well for transgender identified children and young people and (iii) identify the things that transgender identified children and young people consider needs to change to enhance their lives

Funding Agency

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Project Type

Qualitative project