Citation

Katato HK, Gautam M, Akinyemi EO. Prim. Care Companion CNS Disord. 2021; 23(5): 20br03017.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Physicians Postgraduate Press)

DOI

10.4088/PCC.20br03017

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has introduced a serious threat to psychiatric inpatients, which lies, literally, within the masks required to prevent viral spread. On our inpatient psychiatric unit, a female patient attempted suicide between 15-minute safety checks by using the metal nose bridge inside a hospital-issued procedure mask to make a deep incision in her forearm. This suicide attempt led to an emergency department visit and laceration repair. This incident prompted an in-depth look at our self-harm prevention processes, resulting in a new protocol that eliminates the nose bridge for all patients' masks within our psychiatric facility. Herein, we share research on the safety and utilization of this strategy.

Our psychiatric inpatients require negative COVID PCR testing within 24 hours prior to admission to a negative COVID unit. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend continued mask wearing and other protective measures, despite recent negative testing.1 These guidelines are especially important for our psychiatric inpatients due to their increased risk of contracting viral diseases because some patients' mental illness is so severe that they may be unable to adhere to protective measures.2 Early in the pandemic, prior to providing our patients with masks, our facility completed a risk assessment based on CDC guidelines and available literature. It was determined that eliminating the face masks was not an option. However, the incident now sparked a necessary pursuit for a protective mask without metal...

Language: en