Psychiatry - protocols for liaison with psychiatric services

Consultation-liaison psychiatry

Consultation-liaison psychiatry provides psychiatric assessment and management support for patients under the primary care of a non-psychiatric medical/surgical team - structured referral processes and clear communication protocols support timely, appropriate psychiatric input for patients with significant psychiatric comorbidity, risk, or diagnostic complexity presenting within general medical settings
A core service model in general hospital settings, given the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity among general medical/surgical inpatients and the need for specialist psychiatric expertise beyond what the primary treating team can typically provide

Effective liaison requires clear, structured referral information (the specific clinical question being asked, relevant history and risk factors, urgency level) to enable the consulting psychiatric team to appropriately triage and respond - vague or non-specific referrals ("psych review please") are less effective than referrals clearly articulating the specific concern or question requiring psychiatric input

Urgency-stratified referral pathways (immediate/emergency assessment for acute risk presentations, routine referral for non-urgent psychiatric comorbidity assessment) ensure appropriate prioritisation matched to clinical urgency
Ongoing communication between the primary treating team and the liaison psychiatry team throughout the admission supports coordinated, consistent care rather than a single isolated assessment disconnected from ongoing management

Clear, specific referral communication (the clinical question, relevant risk factors, urgency) improves liaison psychiatry response appropriateness and timeliness
Coordinated, ongoing communication between primary and liaison teams throughout the admission, rather than a single disconnected consultation episode

Referral information quality and its effect on liaison response appropriateness, urgency-stratified triage pathways, ongoing coordinated communication throughout an admission, general hospital psychiatric comorbidity prevalence
A specific, well-articulated referral (clearly stating the clinical question and relevant risk factors, rather than a vague general request) enables the liaison psychiatry team to triage and respond more appropriately and promptly - this communication quality directly affects how effectively psychiatric input can be integrated into the primary team's overall management plan

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