Table 3

Effect of ED-based specialised models of care on practice delivery and costs

Study	Intervention	Comparison	Sample size	Age (years) (mean (SD))	Outcome	Measure of effect	Effect (intervention vs comparison)
Grover and Lee29	Behavioural health unit	Standard ED room	I: 2475 C: 2168	I: 13.2 (3.28) C: 13.6 (3.14)	Length of stay	Absolute difference	−45 min
					Security man-hours per 100 patients	Mean difference	−36.8 hours (95% CI −48.3 to −25.3)
					Restraint orders per 100 patients	Mean difference	−0.9 orders (95% CI −1.64 to −0.16)
Mahajan et al 30	Child guidance model	Standard ED care	I: 561 C: 470	12.5 (3.4)	Length of stay	Mean difference	−43.1 min (95% CI −63.1 to −23.1)
Mahajan et al 30	Child guidance model	Standard ED care	I: 561 C: 470	12.5 (3.4)	Cost of ED care	Cost per patient per hour	US$18.98
Parker et al 26	Rapid response model	Standard ED care	NTD	NTD	Monthly admissions to inpatient psychiatry resultant from RRM consultation	Mean differences*	First RRM vs pre-RRM: −0.3 RRM termination vs first RRM: 1.2 Second RRM vs RRM termination: −4.9
Greenfield et al 31	Emergency room follow-up team	Standard ED care	I: 568 C: 412	14.6 (1.5)	Number of hospitalisations† over a 1-year period	Relative risk	0.56 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.69)
						Risk difference	− 16.1% (95% CI − 21.8% to − 10.4%)
						Number needed to treat	7
					Number of ED return visits over a 1- year period	Relative risk	0.61 (95% CI 0.32 to 1.17)

*Unable to calculate 95% CIs due to unknown sample size; using study-reported data to clarify the findings, we are confident of a statistically significant difference for the last comparison (second RRM vs RRM termination), but not clear about whether there are significant differences for the first two comparisons.
†Medical or psychiatric hospitalisation.
CI, Confidence interval; NTD, not able to determine; RRM, rapid response model.