Monitoring Patients with Mental Disorders

Mental disorders impose significant socio-economic and geo-political challenges which, if not addressed, have the potential to overwhelm the ability of healthcare systems globally to accommodate the growing demands both in human and resource management terms. From a treatment perspective there is a need to implement multi-modal systems where patients can be diagnosed, treated, and monitored. Such systems must incorporate triage and treatment capabilities in both hospital settings with monitoring in the community. This paper considers the practical challenges in realising the goal of achieving the effective monitoring of patients with mental disorders in Smart-Psychiatric Intensive Care Units and in the community. Illustrative scenarios are presented. We conclude that effective patient monitoring will provide benefits for all stakeholders in the management of mental disorders.