SUICIDE MONITORING
AT WORCESTER RECOVERY CENTER & HOSPITAL
Jason kiragu
Mount Wachusett community college Worcester state recovery hospital (WRCH) is a psychiatric facility that focuses on care and treatment of individuals with mental illness. For my focused clinical based project, I explored the topic on suicide monitoring at the facility.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Santis, Myrick, Lamis, Pelic, 2015). In Santis et al.’s (2015) an article reviewing suicide-specific safety in the inpatient unit, estimated that approximately 1,600 inpatients have died in the United States hospitals with 75 % of suicides reported since 1995 to the joint commission occurring in psychiatric settings.
This statistics proves that …show more content…
If a patient is deemed to be at risk for suicide, an order is put into place to promote patient safety as per the facilities policy. At WRCH, the physiatrist or the RN will issue an order for the patient to be put on 1:1 constant observation (“speculating”). This will entail a need for search of clothing or belongings which is determined by the charge nurse. According to Santis et al.’s (2015), reports of suicides and attempts from 1999 to 2011 revealed that 243 events occurred in inpatient psychiatric units and 65 resulted in death. The methods included 43.6 % (106) hanging; 24.1% (55) cutting; 9.4% (38) strangulation; and 10.04% (19) were overdoses. In those patients whose method was hanging, 52.2% of anchor points were doors and 58.1% of lanyards were beddings. Santis et al.’s (2015) lists a summary of methods to reduce environmental risk factors such as:
• Reduce access to dangerous objects such as sharps
• reduce opportunities to jump
• Eliminate closets, clothing poles , belt, hangers and private curtains
• Reduce strangulation devices
• Eliminating structures that are potential anchor
AT WORCESTER RECOVERY CENTER & HOSPITAL
Jason kiragu
Mount Wachusett community college Worcester state recovery hospital (WRCH) is a psychiatric facility that focuses on care and treatment of individuals with mental illness. For my focused clinical based project, I explored the topic on suicide monitoring at the facility.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Santis, Myrick, Lamis, Pelic, 2015). In Santis et al.’s (2015) an article reviewing suicide-specific safety in the inpatient unit, estimated that approximately 1,600 inpatients have died in the United States hospitals with 75 % of suicides reported since 1995 to the joint commission occurring in psychiatric settings.
This statistics proves that …show more content…
If a patient is deemed to be at risk for suicide, an order is put into place to promote patient safety as per the facilities policy. At WRCH, the physiatrist or the RN will issue an order for the patient to be put on 1:1 constant observation (“speculating”). This will entail a need for search of clothing or belongings which is determined by the charge nurse. According to Santis et al.’s (2015), reports of suicides and attempts from 1999 to 2011 revealed that 243 events occurred in inpatient psychiatric units and 65 resulted in death. The methods included 43.6 % (106) hanging; 24.1% (55) cutting; 9.4% (38) strangulation; and 10.04% (19) were overdoses. In those patients whose method was hanging, 52.2% of anchor points were doors and 58.1% of lanyards were beddings. Santis et al.’s (2015) lists a summary of methods to reduce environmental risk factors such as:
• Reduce access to dangerous objects such as sharps
• reduce opportunities to jump
• Eliminate closets, clothing poles , belt, hangers and private curtains
• Reduce strangulation devices
• Eliminating structures that are potential anchor