An investigation into the integration of AI-enabled consultation and documentation systems in emergency departments for mental and behavioral health care delivery

Emergency Departments (EDs) face growing documentation burden and tele-consultation challenges due to the rising volume of mental and behavioral health (MBH) patients. One potential approach is to integrate the capabilities of AI technologies directly into consultation and documentation processes to alleviate such pressures in EDs. This qualitative study employed 17 scenario-grounded semi-structured interviews, supported by AI concept demonstrations, to examine opportunities and challenges associated with AI integration in ED-based MBH care. A thematic analysis of 277 quotations identified 18 distinct themes. Clinicians viewed AI-enabled consultation as acceptable to both providers and patients, with potential to streamline workflow. AI-enabled documentation was perceived to improve efficiency, reduce documentation time, enhance comprehensiveness, increase user control, and may support the identification of clinically relevant information that might otherwise be overlooked. Identified barriers included technical challenges in capturing audio, limited acceptability among high-risk psychiatric patients, concerns regarding the ability of AI to capture subtle psychiatric nuances, lack of personalization, and reliance on user expertise. This study concludes with actionable insights and future directions for the design and integration of AI technologies with electronic medical records, patient safety considerations, and clinician workflow to support consultation and documentation in ED-based MBH care.