Question

How would you apply The Joint Commission safety standards in the emergency department?

Answer 1

Documentation is essential for the suicidal risk assessment, intervention and client responses. Client documentation includes the details of the observed behaviours, client responses to initial crisis intervention strategies and review of identified risk factor. The Joint Commission requires that any death which is not consistent with a client’s disease process or any permanent loss of function occurring as a consequence of an attempted suicide in a hospital be reported as a guard event.

Most psychiatric in patient setting and emergency department had a written suicide precaution protocols that should be followed with client presenting with suicidal ideation. Most of clients exhibit the high-risk behaviour requires one-to-one constant staff observation who is a potentially suicidal client might never be left alone.

Creating and sustaining community wide emergency preparedness strategies are published by the Joint Commission, which states that it is no longer adequate to develop calamity plans and dust then off if a threat appears looming.