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A mobile psychiatric services team that goes to patients
Going back and forth between home and hospital can be draining, especially for vulnerable patients. That's why psychiatrists Alexis Beauchamp-Châtel and Chloée Paquette Houde decided their patients would be better served with in-home care. They put together a mobile psychiatric services team which has already led to significant mental health benefits for individuals receiving treatment.
Dr. Beauchamp-Châtel and his colleagues treat patients with psychiatric disorders, intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (primarily those who are non-verbal). Many of these individuals find it stressful to go into a clinic, but they require regular therapeutic care. The specialists realized that their patients often became agitated on their way to the hospital, and that any efforts to calm patients down were immediately nullified when patients had to make the trip back home. It was challenging for the patients, their families and the medical team.
The team of specialists decided to address the situation with a bold initiative. They would put together a mobile psychiatric services team to meet with patients directly in their homes or places of residence.
The team found that their interventions led to fast improvements in patient stability. Their patient-first approach also set a positive foundation for ongoing care. As a result, interventions tended to be shorter and far more effective. Patients were able receive medical services at home for one hour per day instead of spending six to eight weeks in a psychiatric hospital. Quality of care was greatly improved.
Dr. Beauchamp-Châtel and his team also found that seeing patients at home allowed them to observe and better assess various aspects of patients' lives, from their physical condition to their daily routines. This information is helpful for refining their evaluations and interventions.
Setting up the mobile psychiatric services wasn't easy. The physicians behind the initiative spent more than five years fighting, on behalf of their patients, against a bureaucratic machine set on keeping things unchanged. In addition, the psychiatric specialists were challenged time and again, with critics saying they weren't hospitalizing patients enough—even though their model specifically aimed to keep patients out of hospital as much as possible. But they never gave up.
Dr. Beauchamp-Châtel and his colleagues play a crucial role in promoting individual health and also in protecting the system. By advocating for their patients, they've improved the efficiency of the healthcare centres that serve this population.
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The Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) is made up of nearly 11,000 specialist physicians representing 59 recognized medical specialties. Our mission is to defend and support specialist doctors who are members of our affiliated associations and work in the public health system, while promoting quality care and services for the people of Quebec.