Crisis resolution teams in the UK and elsewhere

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management
• Psychiatric Care Delivery

Background:

• Crisis resolution and home treatment teams (CRTs) were implemented nationwide in the UK to decrease psychiatric hospital admissions.
• Initial evidence supporting CRTs was limited at the time of their introduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the scientific literature on CRTs published since their national rollout in the UK in 2000.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and impact of CRTs on psychiatric hospital admissions and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A systematic narrative literature review was conducted.
• Databases searched included British Nursing Index, Cinahl, Embase, Medline, and PsyINFO.
• The review considered evidence from one randomized controlled trial and several naturalistic studies.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests CRTs can reduce hospital beds and costs while maintaining similar symptomatic outcomes and service user satisfaction.
• There is no conclusive evidence that CRTs increase serious untoward incidents (SUIs) or compulsory admissions.
• The review found no evidence that CRTs are the sole method for reducing hospital admissions.

Conclusions:

• Currently, there is insufficient compelling evidence to advocate for the widespread implementation of CRTs.
• Future research should focus on national-level data for compulsory admissions and SUIs.
• Comparative studies are needed to assess CRTs against alternative methods for reducing hospital admissions, with greater detail on sample and treatment characteristics.