Assessing Program Efficiency: A Time and Motion Study of the Mental Health Emergency Care — Rural Access Program in NSW Australia

Emily Saurman, David Lyle, Sue Kirby and Russell Roberts
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Emily Saurman: Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia
David Lyle: Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia
Sue Kirby: Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia
Russell Roberts: University of Sydney, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: The Mental Health Emergency Care-Rural Access Program (MHEC-RAP) is a telehealth solution providing specialist emergency mental health care to rural and remote communities across western NSW, Australia. This is the first time and motion (T&M) study to examine program efficiency and capacity for a telepsychiatry program. Clinical services are an integral aspect of the program accounting for 6% of all activities and 50% of the time spent conducting program activities, but half of this time is spent completing clinical paperwork. This finding emphasizes the importance of these services to program efficiency and the need to address variability of service provision to impact capacity. Currently, there is no efficiency benchmark for emergency telepsychiatry programs. Findings suggest that MHEC-RAP could increase its activity without affecting program responsiveness. T&M studies not only determine activity and time expenditure, but have a wider application assessing program efficiency by understanding, defining, and calculating capacity. T&M studies can inform future program development of MHEC-RAP and similar telehealth programs, both in Australia and overseas.

Keywords: mental health; telemedicine; emergency medical services; efficiency; program development; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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