Defining Acuity in Community Mental Health: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis
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Gullidge, Jon
Brannelly, Tula
Sutton, Daniel
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Wiley
Abstract
The term ‘acuity’ is used in community mental health in clinical decision‐making related to risk and access to services. It has consequences for people who use services, as it has impacts on how resources are allocated. However, the meaning of ‘acuity’ is obtuse, as it lacks consensus or definition in community mental health practice. To examine the concept of acuity in community mental health, Rodgers’ evolutionary approach was used to analyse critical attributes, antecedents and consequences from 19 studies selected for review. Thematic analysis identified attributes, antecedents and consequences. Six attributes of acuity in community mental health were identified: clinical presentation, risk, complexity, urgency, need and perception. Two categories of antecedents were identified: clinician‐perceived vulnerabilities and organisational factors. Four consequences were also identified: treatment, prioritisation, access and workload. This paper presents these findings and a definition to reflect current understandings of acuity in the community mental health practice context.
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1117 Public Health and Health Services, 1607 Social Work, Nursing, 4203 Health services and systems, 4206 Public health, 4409 Social work, community mental health services, concept formation, health services accessibility, interdisciplinary research, professional practice gaps
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Health & Social Care in the Community, ISSN: 0966-0410 (Print); 1365-2524 (Online), Wiley, 2026(1). doi: 10.1155/hsc/5524950
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Copyright © 2026 Jon Gullidge et al. Health & Social Care in the Community published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.