![]() Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist was associated with a reduction in the rate of completed inpatient suicide in VHA hospitals nationally. ![]() The number of completed suicides on inpatient mental health units in VHA hospitals. Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist. The effect of implementation of a checklist (the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist) and abatement process designed to remove suicide hazards from inpatient mental health units in all VHA hospitals was examined by measuring change in the rate of suicides before and after the intervention. To evaluate the effect of identification and abatement of hazards on inpatient suicides in the VHA. Many methods have been proposed, but no interventions have been tested. While suicides occurring during psychiatric hospitalization represent a very small proportion of the total number of suicides, these events are highly preventable owing to the controlled nature of the environment. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(6), 588-592. An Examination of the Effectiveness of a Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist in Reducing Suicide on Inpatient Mental Health Units. Watts, B.V., Young-Xu, Y., Mills P.D., DeRosier, J.M., Kemp, J., Shiner, B. We provide more information about such hazards and introduce a decision tree to help healthcare providers to determine which hazards to remove. It is recommended that common lanyards and anchor points be removed from the environment of care. The most common method of suicide attempts and completions on inpatient mental health units is hanging. In addition, 23.1% of patients used razor blades for cutting. Doors accounted for 52.2% of the anchor points used for the 22 deaths by hanging sheets or bedding accounted for 58.5% of the lanyards. There were 243 reports of suicide attempts and completions: 43.6% (106) were hanging, 22.6% (55) were cutting, 15.6% (38) were strangulation, and 7.8% (19) were overdoses. ![]() ![]() We coded the method of suicide, anchor point and lanyard for cases of hanging, and implement for cutting, and brought together all other reports of inpatient hazards from VA staff for review. Understanding the methods and the environmental components of inpatient suicide may help to reduce its incidence.Īll Root Cause Analysis reports of suicide or suicide attempts in inpatient mental health units in VA hospitals between December 1999 and December 2011 were reviewed. One thousand five hundred suicides take place on inpatient psychiatry units in the United States each year, over 70% by hanging. Inpatient suicide on mental health units in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals: avoiding environmental hazards, General Hospital Psychiatry, 35(5),528–536. Learn More Mills, P.D., Lori A King, L.A., Watts, B V, Hemphill, R. We hope the Guide will be a valued resource for creating healing environments for our Veterans. Improving the safety of the Mental Health environment in VHA is a responsibility to be taken very seriously. Training module and sample checklists for non-clinical staff who may access a locked inpatient mental health unit for routine maintenance and inspection. The Guide will serve as a living document to allow updates to be added as new products are identified and verified. It contains the following valuable resources: Members of the team developed criteria and shared information with industry leaders. It was developed by a multidisciplinary team comprising of members from the VA National Center for Patient Safety, Nursing, Safety, Environmental Management, and Interior Design. The Guide offers recommended products and solutions to ensure our Veterans are cared for in a safe, and therapeutically enriching environment. VHA's Environmental Programs Service has released its first Mental Health Guide. ![]() The checklist has been used in all VA mental health units since October 2007. The purpose is to identify and abate environmental hazards that could increase the chance of patient suicide or self-harm. The Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist (MHEOCC) (, XLSX) was developed for Veterans Affairs Hospitals to use to review inpatient mental health units for environmental hazards. Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist (MHEOCC)
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