Distress, Discomfort and Moral Injury: Emergency Department Clinicians Experiences Caring for People With a Psychosocial Disability and a National Disability Insurance Scheme Plan

People with a psychosocial disability (PSD) and a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan may at times require emergency care. This study aimed to gather evidence of current practice and experiences from the perspective of emergency department clinicians that care for people with a PSD and an NDIS plan. A national anonymous survey was conducted between December 2022 and June 2023. Emergency department (ED) clinicians who had attended to a person with a PSD and an NDIS plan in the ED within the last 2 years were able to participate in the study. The COREQ standards were used for reporting. Results of this qualitative online survey, conducted nationally in Australia, were thematically analysed. Experiences of ED clinicians when caring for people with PSD and an NDIS plan, plus perspectives about care, communication and continuity of care are discussed. Themes generated were: System and service drivers: who cares for whom? And when?; Providing care in pressured environments; Connect the service silos; Inclusion of carers/support workers. This study provides new information on clinician experience's when caring for people with psychosocial disability and an NDIS plan in the ED and information about system challenges, limitations and inability to comply with fundamentals of care.