Jen Chin Lee

Taoyuan Psychiatric Center, Taiwan

Title: Analysis of Patient Profile in the Psychiatric Emergency Department of a Public Specialized Psychiatric Hospital Over the Past Decade

---

Biography

Jen-Chin Li is a psychiatrist at Taoyuan Psychiatric Center and currently serves as Director of the Psychiatric Emergency Department and Director of Critical Psychiatric Care. His clinical and academic interests focus on emergency psychiatry, acute psychiatric intervention, psychiatric intensive care, and community mental health services. He has actively promoted the integration of emergency psychiatry with public mental health systems and interdisciplinary crisis intervention models in Taiwan. Dr. Li graduated from the School of Medicine at Taipei Medical University and received his Master’s degree from the Graduate Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University. He is actively involved in research related to psychiatric emergency services, occupational mental health promotion, and healthcare system transformation.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Psychiatric emergency departments (EDs) play a crucial role in addressing acute mental health crises, yet remain under-researched. This study aims to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric patients presenting to a specialized ED in a public psychiatric hospital in Taoyuan City over the past eight years.

Methods: Retrospective data from 24,248 psychiatric emergency visits between 2015 and 2022 were analyzed. Variables included gender, age, diagnosis, observation time, transfer rate to inpatient wards, and outcomes.

Results: The annual ED visits increased by 37.11%, from 2,724 in 2015 to 3,735 in 2022. The male-to-female ratio shifted from 1.15:1 to 0.95:1, with more female patients since 2020. Average patient age declined from 43.26 to 40.16 years, indicating a younger trend, particularly among females. Schizophrenia remained the most common diagnosis but declined to 15% by late 2022. ED-to-inpatient transfer rates dropped from over 50% to 42.73%. Observation beyond 48 hours decreased to <1.5%, and average ED stay reduced from over 28 to under 9 hours.

Conclusions: The psychiatric ED has become increasingly utilized by a younger and more diverse patient population. Systematic reforms have led to more efficient care delivery. These findings underscore the need for further research to guide policy and enhance psychiatric emergency services.