For the past sixteen years, the New York State Office of Mental Health has published The Patient Safety Standards, Materials and Systems Guidelines – a  set of standards and guidelines to support state and community operated psychiatric inpatient facilities in their effort to provide interior environments with zero tolerance for suicide.

The guidelines are published twice a year and the team behind the document’s publication strives to keep it current through researching, testing, and including products that represent best practice for safety and contribute to a positive therapeutic environment.

The “Patient Safety Standards” are referenced throughout the US,  are listed as a reference standard by FGI in the Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Hospitals, and are a regularly used resource by Joint Commission surveyors.

This webinar will provide a brief history of the document’s inception and evolution over the years, and will explain its purpose in the context of New York State’s Office of Mental Health. Presenters will explain the various paths that products may take in their quest to be accepted into the Patient Safety Standards, including the rigorous testing protocols followed for every entry. Attendees will learn how, when and why to use the Patient Safety Standards on projects, and how to educate their own clients and colleagues on the applicability of the document.