Citation

Bongar B, Maris RW, Berman AL, Litman RE, Silverman MM. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1993; 23(3): 245-256.

Affiliation

Clinical Psychology Program, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA 94303.

Comment In:

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1995 Summer;25(2):319-21

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8249035

Abstract

The most common legal action involving psychiatric care is the failure to reasonably protect patients from harming themselves. In this regard it is critical to understand that courts have tended to impose much stricter standards on inpatient than on outpatient care; that at the present time, most malpractice actions involve clinical activities related to inpatient care (negligent admission, treatment, supervision, discharge, etc.). This article reviews the current climate in the legal and clinical formulation of standards of care for hospitalized adult suicidal patients. It suggests general guidelines for effective assessment, management, and treatment procedures that balance the need for high-quality care by a reasonable and prudent practitioner with the requirements of court-determined and statutory standards. The authors specifically discuss court cases that show common failure situations in inpatient care, discharge planning, and follow-up (e.g., problems in pharmacotherapy, the decision to hospitalize, the assessment of imminence and lethality, etc.). The paper also emphasizes the crucial element of clinical judgment in developing any inpatient standard of care.

Language: en