Citation

Bennett S, Daly J, Kirkwood J, McKain C, Swope J. Top. Emerg. Med. 2006; 28(2): 138-143.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicidality is an ever-rising societal issue in today's world. Thousands of people seek safety and treatment for their self-injurious thoughts and behaviors every year in the United States. As a result, emergency departments are being bombarded with patients with suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. Once in the emergency department, these patients are subject to being labeled a "psychiatric patient," and therefore do not receive the same standard of care a medically compromised patient would. In an effort to provide appropriate treatment for these patients, many changes are called for, including educating emergency department nurses in identifying patients who are at highest risk, developing a system of triaging these patients within an appropriate length of time, and providing a safe environment while promptly making arrangment for evaluation and transfer to the proper level of treatment. © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

human; Suicide; alcohol; Triage; Treatment; patient safety; suicide attempt; Documentation; emergency medicine; article; risk; clinical practice; drug intoxication; patient monitoring; priority journal; practice guideline; paracetamol; emergency health service; mental patient; drug blood level; medical documentation; urinalysis; alcohol blood level; high risk patient; evidence based medicine; Risks; pregnancy test