The Council on Research

Am J Psychiatry 1 40:3, March 1983 385 disbanded; however, it has recommended that HMO psychiatrists be appointed to substantive components of the Association to ensure that health maintenance organization concerns are considered in the development of policies concerning psychiatric residency training, peer review, health care organization and financing, the chronic patient, and research. The Task Force on Psychiatric Emergency Care Issues, Gail Barton, M.D., chairperson, hopes to conclude in 1983 work on its final report, which will be a discussion of the state of the art and a guide to those who administer psychiatric emergency programs. In recent months Dr. Barton has met with representatives of NIMH to provide strong arguments for the support of studies related to emergency mental health care, not only for disaster planning but also for those emergencies seen by the routine emergency care system. The task force continues to be active in training efforts within APA, including sponsorship of courses at the annual meeting and the H&CP Institute. Liaison with the Joint Review Committee to Accredit Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Training Programs, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and other groups has resulted in psychiatrically oriented segments of their educational meetings. Some members of the task force are working on the development of questions for the fifth edition of the Psychiattic Knowledge and Skills Self-Assessment Program. For 4 years APA has served as one of several sponsors of the Joint Review Committee to Accredit Emergency Medical TechnicianParamedic Training Programs. This sponsorship has allowed APA to provide psychiatric input into the development of accreditation criteria and then to make recommendations for program content. The Council believes that APA should continue to provide psychiattic input as requested by the Joint Review Committee, but in September the Council concluded that the Joint Review Committee had had several years of experience and time to establish a full accreditation program and therefore recommended termination of APA’s sponsorship and corresponding financial support of the Joint Review Committee. Within the past few years the task force has developed a number of resource materials, has promoted liaison with many agencies and organizations, and has developed or participated in a number of educational presentations on emergency psychiatric care. While many of the specified tasks of the existing component have been completed, the Council recognized the need for continuing attention to emergency psychiatric care and consequently will recommend disbandment of the task force on the completion of its final report and establishment of a component within APA that will focus primarily on educational and liaison activities concerning emergency psychiatry.