Innovative Care
Some hospital patients may develop psychiatric symptoms that can interfere with their medical care and safety. Conversely, patients with mental disorders can develop medical issues that require hospitalization. Agitated delirium, for instance, can be triggered by surgery or acute medical treatment for chronic illnesses such as cancer. In an innovative shift, multidisciplinary teams at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital have developed the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT), a program to screen patients for behavioral issues as they’re being admitted to the medical units at YNHH. Developed by William Sledge, MD, YNHPH’s Medical Director, the BIT is now being considered for implementation in a variety of hospitals around the country for its demonstrated favorable impact on the care of hospitalized medical patients.
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