Ask the Expert Geriatric Psychiatry: A VHA Email Consultation Program to Support Clinicians.

BACKGROUND: About 50% of veterans who receive care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are aged ≥ 65 years and many have complex psychiatric care needs. However, there are insufficient geriatric psychiatrists available to provide care to this population. The VHA has sought to optimize access to specialty geriatric mental health services via virtual consultation services. OBSERVATIONS: The Ask the Expert Geriatric Psychiatry email consultation program was established in June 2021. VHA board-certified geriatric psychiatrists serve as expert consultants and respond to email questions from clinicians regarding the psychiatric care of older adult veterans. A review of 101 questions submitted between February 2022 and December 2023 indicated that the most common questions centered on agitated behaviors, often in the context of dementia or a medical condition. Requests for feedback on the program were sent to 112 consultation requestors, and 30 responded (27% response rate). Of these respondents, 26 (87%) believed the answer they received was very much or extremely helpful, 23 (77%) felt that the answers were prompt, and 27 (90%) were very likely to use the service again. CONCLUSIONS: Ask the Expert Geriatric Psychiatry is a low-resource email consultation service that provides rapid feedback to VHA clinicians. Email consultation programs can help meet the needs of populations with limited access to care, such as older adults with cognitive and mental health needs.