Emergency room dispositions of professionally referred psychiatric patients

Emergency room records of professionally referred and nonprofessionally referred patients are reviewed. Professionally referred patients were significantly more likely to be admitted than non professionally referred patients. Female, white, and employed patients were all overrepresented among the professionally referred. Suicidality, homicidality, and depression were also more common in this group. After accounting for the clinical and demographic differences, referral source did not significantly modify the disposition from the emergency room. Among schizophrenic patients, however, professional referral independently improved the likelihood of admission. These results are discussed in terms of social factors which may influence emergency room decision making.