Enhancing the value of psychiatric consultation

A study of a developing psychiatric consultation service found shortcomings in the amount of experience of those who performed the consultations, in the timing of the consultations (not prompt enough), and in the tone, legibility, and organization of the reports provided by the consultants, as well as in follow-up of patients. Steps to resolve these problems have resulted in increased use of the consultation service and an improvement in the quality of psychiatric referrals.