Clinical characteristics of people with mental health problems who frequently attend an Australian emergency department

The objective of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of people with mental health problems who frequently attend an Australian emergency department (ED). A retrospective clinical audit of presenter characteristics was conducted in a 550-bed tertiary referral metropolitan hospital with data reflecting 12 months of consecutive ED presentations between September 2002 and August 2003. A sample of 868 individuals accounted for 1076 presentations. Patients attending more than once accounted for 12.5% of the total sample. Significant variables associated with frequent attendance included: younger age; English speaking background; and mood and anxiety disorders. Lone arrival of a patient to the ED showed marginal significance. The significant associates of frequent attendance found in this study may be used to identify patients earlier to a multidisciplinary case review process and individual management planning involving clinicians, carers and patients.