[Improving the CMP appointment waiting time for children and adolescents]

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Healthcare Management
• Mental Health Services

Context:

• Increasing demand for child and adolescent mental health services has led to extended waiting times for initial consultations.
• Two Child Mental Health Centers (CMP) experienced over 40-day waiting periods for 50% of patients.
• This situation prompted a re-evaluation of the new consultation application process within child psychiatry.

Purpose:

• To investigate and address the prolonged waiting times for first appointments in child and adolescent mental health services.
• To implement and evaluate organizational improvements for managing consultation applications.
• To enhance the efficiency of mental health service delivery for pediatric patients.

Summary:

• Two key interventions were introduced: the deployment of organizational and reception nurses, and the creation of a new process for managing consultation applications.
• An evaluation conducted after one year assessed the impact of these implemented changes on appointment waiting times.
• The study focused on the effectiveness of these specific improvements in streamlining the patient intake process.

Impact:

• The implemented changes resulted in a significant reduction in appointment waiting times, decreasing them by half.
• The study found no adverse effect on the rate of patients not showing up for their appointments.
• This initiative demonstrates a successful strategy for improving access to timely mental health care for children and adolescents.