Date of Conferral
4-1-2025
Date of Award
April 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Social Work
Advisor
David Pollio
Abstract
The emergency department is designed to treat emergency medical conditions, stabilize the patients, and transition them to the next appropriate level of care. The social issue that prompted the search in current literature is increased readmissions to the emergency department for many at-risk populations, including mental health patients. The research problem addressed through this quantitative study was the increasing readmission rates in emergency departments for the mental health population for non-emergent needs. The purpose of the study was to determine whether having social work involvement with adult mental health patients in the emergency department would lead to more services at discharge and reduce the risk for 30-day readmission to the emergency department. The research questions addressed the extent social workers completing an assessment, with behavioral health patient, impacted 30-day readmissions and increased number of services while controlling for age, gender, and insurance type. Secondary data were analyzed using a logistic regression. Insurance type was the predictor for 30-day readmissions while age was the predictor for the number of services. The null hypotheses for both research questions were accepted. Social workers role and referrals to community resources take time, leaving a gap in care that can lead to a higher risk for 30-day readmissions and a lower risk for 90-day readmissions. With findings of this study and further research, health care systems can create positive social change with policies and procedures that are effective and encompassing care to this population.
Recommended Citation
Grumbein, Hannah, "Social Workers Impact on Behavioral Health Patients in the Emergency Department" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17543.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17543
