WORKSHOP: The Calgary Medical-Psychiatry Unit – The First Fifteen Years

Learning Objectives

1. Review the origin and admission criteria of the Medical Psychiatry Unit at the Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary;

2. Review the role of a true multidisciplinary team using fascinating and novel case histories;

3. Review the impact on clinical care, education and future research from the Medical Psychiatry Unit.

Abstract

The Calgary Medical-Psychiatry Unit (MPU) is a novel unit in Canada located on a general medical ward at the Peter Lougheed Centre.

Our focus is to treat patients with highly acute medical and psychiatric illnesses which could benefit from co-managed care.

Our treatment team is a co-attentding physician model includes a Psychiatrist along with a variety of Internal Medicine and Hospitalist Physicians.

The team is composed of many allied health professionals including a clinical nurse specialist, social work, dietician, clinical ethics, spiritual care, pharmacy, occupational and physical therapy, transition services and others.

Our nursing staff have a medical background but have cross-training in psychiatric nursing.

The MPU is complementary to our Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service.

The foundations of the establishment of the unit along with lessons learned will be reviewed.

Fascinating case histories will be used to highlight our truly multidisciplinary team.

A discussion on the benefits of the MPU on clinical care, education of trainees and potential research opportunities will be explored.

Literature References

1. Kathol, Roger. (1994). Medical psychiatry units: The wave of the future. General hospital psychiatry. 16. 1-3.

2. Caarls, P.J., van Schijndel, M.A., Kormkamp, M. et al. (2019) Need analysis
   for a new high acuity medical psychiatry unit: which patients are considered for
   admission?. BMC Health Serv Res 19, 139.