Expanding Access to Expertise: Innovating to Share Our Knowledge-View Presentation

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The presentation highlights the growing challenge in geriatric psychiatric care due to an aging population and a shortage of qualified specialists. E.J. Santos, Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Rochester, details initiatives to address this issue by expanding expertise and training outside traditional geriatric psychiatry pathways. The discussion introduces several projects, primarily Project ECHO, which uses a tele-mentoring model to disseminate expertise to primary care providers and skilled nursing facilities. This includes the development of a telepsychiatry program to support facilities lacking psychiatric resources.<br /><br />There is a focus on reducing inappropriate antipsychotic use in older adults, often misdiagnosed to circumvent regulations. Educational efforts are made to replace unnecessary pharmacological intervention with non-pharmacological care plans developed by psychiatric nurse engagement specialists, aiming to enhance care for geriatric psychiatric patients through comprehensive, interdisciplinary approaches.<br /><br />The Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is presented as an effective model for integrating psychiatric and medical care, improving outcomes for older adults. The presentation also addresses innovations at Yale, such as algorithms integrated into electronic health records to guide the management of dementia-related agitation, signifying the importance of organized and accessible care protocols.<br /><br />Overall, the session emphasizes collaborative care models and the importance of expanding psychiatric expertise through innovative telehealth and integrated programs to meet the needs of a growing elderly population with complex mental health requirements.

Keywords

geriatric psychiatry

aging population

specialist shortage

Project ECHO

telepsychiatry

antipsychotic reduction

non-pharmacological care

PACE model

dementia management

collaborative care