Articles Tagged With: psychiatrics
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Emergency Providers Intervene to Prevent Suicide Attempts, Ideation
Researchers use quality improvement concepts to help clinicians identify high-risk patients.
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‘Medical Clearance’ of Psychiatric Patient Can be Legally Risky
What does "medical clearance" really mean? Does it indicate a patient has no acute issues, or that all the patient’s chronic issues are stable? Or is it both? The answer depends on who you ask.
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Legal Risks if Psychiatric History Clouds Medical Decision-Making
Patients with these life-threatening medical conditions may report mood swings, personality changes, irritability or aggression, depressed mood, anxiety, or trouble concentrating. If appropriate history, physical exam, and diagnostic testing are not completed, medical emergencies can be missed. This is particularly common if physical exam findings are subtle.
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Rapid-Access Psychiatry Encounter Might Reduce ED Use Rate
The lack of access to outpatient psychiatric care could contribute to the medical emergencies seen in EDs. Most emergency providers are well aware of the shortage of available mental healthcare providers in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
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ED Nurses Feel Unprepared for Mental Health Complaints
Engaging with the patient can help ED nurses avoid these risky situations. Nurses can notice subtle signs of escalation, treat with medications when appropriate, offer food, perform regular assessments, and facilitate hygiene. It also is important for ED nurses to demonstrate they did everything in their power to transfer the patient to a higher level of care, if that is what the patient needs. -
Protecting At-Risk Patients from Self-Harm in the ED
Researchers try to create a safer environment to keep patients and staff alike safe.
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Pediatric Psych Visits Surging in EDs, Along with Medical Malpractice Risks
Before pediatric psychiatric patients are discharged from the ED, carefully document the visit and create a follow-up plan with a primary care physician or mental health professional. For patients presenting with suicidal ideation, a social worker or mental health clinician should develop a safety plan.
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Ethical Concerns When Calling Security Is Top Tactic to Handle Agitated Patients
Police officers are not mental healthcare professionals, but often are the ones called to help a person in crisis, even if that person is in the hospital at the time. Instead, police should be teamed with a mental health professional to help de-escalate volatile situations.
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Courts, Plaintiff Attorneys Scrutinizing ED Boarding of Psychiatric Patients
Patients visit emergency departments (EDs) with acute psychiatric illnesses that need to be addressed. The problem is that hospitals may not be providing those services on an outpatient or inpatient basis. If the ED psychiatric patient requires inpatient services, there may be nowhere available to send the patient.