Behavioral Health Toolkit
This toolkit offers updated resources to help improve care for mental health patients who present to an acute care, behavioral health or an intensive outpatient setting. These resources provide an understanding of clinical assessment, behavioral triggers for mental health patients, risk assessment tools, scripting tools, cultural diversity self-assessments, environment of care assessment tools, depression screening tools and hotline resources that can help improve patient experience and provide a safer environment of care.Care of the Behavioral Health Patient
Behavioral health encompasses many facets. Healthcare providers must be knowledgeable of the issues, risks and responses associated with these behaviors. The following information assists in the treatment of behavioral patients that present in many healthcare settings. Education is provided for patients, families and healthcare workers to reduce these risks and improve safety when caring for psychiatric patients.
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National Health Service Corps: NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services Checklist
A checklist to assess comprehensive behavioral health service elements.
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Quick Safety Issue 53
Article by The Joint Commission that discusses the value of psychiatric advanced directives and offers information on how to these can be developed with patients.
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Advance Directive for Mental Health Treatment
Sample psychiatric advanced directive forms developed by the Office of Mental Health and Mental Health Advocacy Service.
Depression & Suicide Screening & Prevention Best Practices
Depression and suicide screens are essential in identifying high-risk patients. Implement a plan to maintain safety in all patient care areas. Screening, assessment, re-assessment, education and prevention are the keys to a successful program. Attached are multiple tools to evaluate patients who present with signs and symptoms related to depression and suicide.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Adult Suicide Risk Screening Tool
This resource is an assessment tool for healthcare providers to determine suicide risk in adult patients.
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Webinar: Suicide Prevention of High-Risk Behavioral Patients
The behavioral health patient who needs acute care presents unique challenges to patient safety. This webinar discusses suicide prevention in high-risk behavioral patients.
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Suicide Prevention of High-Risk Behavioral Patients Presentation
Click to view the presentation slides used in the Suicide Prevention of High-Risk Behavioral Patients webinar.
Safety and Security in Behavioral Health Arena
Evaluate post-violent incidents to identify alternatives to handle these situations and prevent future episodes. Educate staff to maintain competency in a safe environment. Consider the use of resource officers to monitor behavioral patients. Guidelines and checklists are provided below to follow the appropriate course of action.
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Post-Incident Debriefing Form
Debriefing helps healthcare workers and the patient evaluate a crisis situation and plan to avoid future episodes throughout the patient’s stay. Interventions such as debriefing sessions with patients post-violent episodes help to prevent reoccurring violence. This resource is a post-incident debriefing form to assist healthcare professionals in finding alternatives to aggressive or dangerous behaviors through the use of debriefing. This checklist provides the steps for conducting a debriefing interview and provides a guide to open communication.
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Use Security Officers to Monitor High-Risk Patients
Is your organization using security officers as sitters or one-on-one observers? If so, be sure your staff are appropriately trained and competent in the tasks being delegated to them. HC Pro’s Hospital Safety Center has released an article detailing the pitfalls of such assignments.
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Sample Sitter Guidelines
This document provides guidelines for sitters who observe patients identified as a danger to themselves and others. The form is an education tool for sitters to make them aware of expectations while they are sitting with the patient, including when to notify the nurse immediately. These guidelines are an important resource to help maintain a safe environment of care for patients.
Care of the Pediatric Behavioral Health Patient
The following material concentrates on the care of pediatric behavioral health patients. These guidelines provide screenings, scripts and education for healthcare providers, patients and guardians limited to the pediatric population.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Brief Suicide Safety Assessment for Pediatric Patients
These guidelines describe what healthcare providers should do when a pediatric patient screens positive for suicide risk.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Script for Nursing Staff
A script for nursing staff to help explain the condition of their minor child to parents/guardians.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Parent/Guardian Flyer
A flyer providing information to parents/guardians regarding what will occur during their minor child’s behavioral health visit.
Environment Of Care in Behavioral Health
The plan and design of the facility, along with patient surroundings, are involved in environmental safety. Checklists and assessments of these areas are available to maintain safe inpatient and outpatient behavioral health locations.
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Environmental Program Service Mental Health Guide
This resource provides a tool regarding training used with the VA’s inpatient mental health environments.
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Construction and Facilities Management Design Guide for Mental Health Facilities
This resource provides a tool regarding the planning and design of a Mental Health Unit courtesy of the VA.
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VA Mental Health Environment Of Care Checklist for Mental Health Departments
An environment of care checklist for mental health areas courtesy of the VA.
Behavioral Health Claim Trends
Claims are consistently associated with the elopement of patients and those patients who are committed for psychiatric treatment. To mitigate risks leading to such claims, review the following educational material. This data offers webinars, educational tools and legal and regulatory requirements to care for mental health patients.
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Webinar: Claims Trends Associated with Violence and Behavioral Health
Violence in healthcare organizations and concerns over the care of behavioral health patients has been on the rise. Have you wondered if claims have resulted from such activity? LHA Trust Funds Liability Manager Mike Walsh discusses claims trends associated with violence and behavioral healthcare.
The webinar’s key objectives are to:
- Understand how an injured employee may utilize the Intention Act Exception to prove that their organization was aware of potential dangers but took no action to protect its employees.
- Recognize that sexual assault is one of the most common types of claim associated with violence/aggression. Organizations must be aware of sexual assault risks and take steps to prevent sexual assault.
- Recognize that organizations have a duty to warn people who may be in danger of harm from a patient if a person is clearly identified as being in imminent danger. Imminent danger is defined as risk of severe injury, death or psychological harm.
- Report concerning behaviors when they occur as such behaviors may be indicators of a preventable serious event.
The webinar also discusses best practices to mitigate these risks, numerous claim scenario examples and court decisions regarding healthcare organization liability.
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Webinar: Elopement of Patients Under Emergency Certificates and Commitments
Elopement of patients who are under an emergency certificate or commitment can pose significant liability for the hospital as well as put the patient and other members of the community at risk for their safety. Robert Robison, partner at Watson, Blanche, Wilson & Posner, LLP, discusses DHH regulations as they relate to elopement of these patients and other important points related to the care of patients in these situations.
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Elopement of Patients Under Emergency Certificates and Commitments Presentation
Click to view the presentation slides used in the Elopement of Patients Under Emergency Certificates and Commitments webinar.
Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Resources inform patients, families and healthcare providers of accessible services related to mental health disorders, addictive disorders and substance abuse. Those listed below consist of national hotlines, self-assessments, advocacy services and regulatory authority.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Mental Health Resources Flyer
A flyer displaying resource information for national hotlines that can assist with mental health resources.
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Promoting Cultural Diversity and Cultural Competency Self-Assessment Checklist
A self-assessment checklist to determine a competency level in the area of promoting cultural diversity and cultural competency.
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Addictive Disorder Regulatory Authority
Provides information on the licensing and credentialing of addiction counselors and prevention professionals in Louisiana.