With ever increasing numbers of patients showing up at emergency departments around the country, there is plenty of discussion on the topic of “malingering”, a term used to identify patients who show up and present intentionally with false or exaggerated symptoms. Frequently, this is done to secure food, shelter, or medication, but malingering can delay treatment in the emergency department for patients who indeed require care.
Within our emergency departments, where up to 1 out of 6 of these patients are presenting for psychiatric reasons, there is an urgency to understand "How many patients are malingering?, with no effective way to quantify the answer. That brings us to the question that we should be asking, "How can we better classify patients, especially psychiatric patients, to ensure that all patients receive the right care?"
Recent research shows suspicion of malingering in roughly 1/3 of psychiatric ED visits, but even when symptoms appear fabricated, the underlying needs are often painfully real—homelessness, substance use disorders, domestic violence, or lack of healthcare access.
The solution isn't about malingering—it involves better patient classification from the start. At Acuity Behavioral Health, we believe that behind every ED presentation is a human story that deserves to be heard and addressed in the right setting, and with the right resources.
We explore this critical challenge and potential solutions in MedCity News: https://lnkd.in/ddnnayY2
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