Development and evaluation of a common intake process for geriatric medicine and psychiatry services Available to Purchase

In providing specialized care for older individuals the skills of many disciplines are often needed to provide the most effective care. At the time of referral, it is not always clear which patients are best served by a medical approach and which ones require psychiatric input. When patients are referred to the less appropriate service, diagnosis and treatment may be delayed to the detriment of the patient. A wide spectrum of specialized services for the elderly is offered at the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, a four‐site teaching hospital in Ontario. The authors describe the development of a common intake process which provides rapid triage to the most appropriate services, and facilitates a combined medical and psychiatric approach where indicated. The end result is a single entry point for referrals, more efficient triage and a net reduction in the number of staff needed to accept and process referrals.