Abstract
In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our NYU Langone Health Tisch/Kimmel/ Orthopedic Hospital ConsultationLiaison (CL) Psychiatry service underwent a multifaceted transformation to become a primarily Virtual CL Psychiatry service. We aimed to provide the hospital system with comprehensive psychiatric consultation for all patients, regardless of isolation status, while preserving personal protective equipment and avoiding unnecessary exposure to COVID-19 for our team members. In this article, we discuss harnessing technology for video consultations and transforming the multiple facets of an academic CL Psychiatry Service to become a comprehensive, functioning virtual consultation team during the COVID-19 pandemic. We review the history, best practices, legal, and regulatory considerations of using telepsychiatry for psychiatric consultations, challenges to implementation across multiple clinical sites, and expansion of the liaison role to include support of frontline colleagues. Finally, we provide the physician, trainee, and psychiatric nurse perspective as it relates to this transition.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 279-287 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Psychiatric Annals |
Volume | 50 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2020 |
Funding
The authors thank the following people from NYU Langone Health who made contributions to this article: Stephanie Asonye, MD; Gary Carlisle, MSN, PMHNP-BC; Calvin Cruz, MD; Josie Gramarosso, MS, RN, HNB-BC, PMHNP Nathan Jones, RN-BC; Amanda Shirley, BA, BSN, RN-BC; Amy Tenenouser, BA, BFA, BSN, RN-BC; and Patricia Whyte, MSN, BSN, RN. The authors also thank Celena Chong LCSW, CASAC, Stacey Flatow, LCSW, CASAC; Chief Medical Information Officer Paul Testa, MD, Eduardo Iturrate, MD, and NYU Langone Health IT Department; members and leadership of the Department of Psychiatry, including the Department Chair Charles Marmar, MD, the Vice Chair for Education Lenard A. Adler MD; NYU Langone Health Nursing leadership; and all the frontline health care workers who continue to take care of patients every day.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health