Insights & Solutions

Mills, P. D., C. Soncrant, J. Bender, and W. Gunnar. “Impact of Over-the-Door Alarms: Root Cause Analysis Review of Suicide Attempts and Deaths on Veterans Health Administration Mental Health Units.” General Hospital Psychiatry 64

In order to reduce inpatient suicide, ligature resistance has been a focus of CMS and accrediting organizations for the past several years, but questions remain as to how far we go and where the real risks lie. In this study based in the Veterans Administration, researchers conducted a retrospective review and analysis of system-wide data of suicide deaths and attempts. As with other studies, the majority of suicides or attempts involved hanging, most of which used doors as the anchor point. Of events where the patient was using a door, more than a third involved an over-the-door alarm (OTD), and none of those events included a death. While correlation does not prove causation, the results suggest that OTD alarms prevented death. Knowing the alarm might alert staff became part of the deterrent. Quite simply, in mental health units where the risk of patients committing suicide is high, OTD alarms may help save lives, as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes sight lines, rounding, ongoing maintenance, and even ligature resistant bedding.

Don’t miss this, high-return day to problem-solve with experts, idea-share with colleagues and obtain new strategies and resources to address behavioral health challenges not only in specialized units, but in emergency departments, outpatient clinics and throughout acute care settings. 

The 12,500 SF unit was designed and constructed in just 120 days and incorporates all of the planned care and documentation practices to support the Western Maryland community during the COVID-19 pandemic and future events as they may occur. The negative-pressure and ventilator-capable environment was designed adjacent to outpatient facilities and increases the overall capacity of available beds, while limiting the exposure of the infected patients. The unit features two operating modes: “normal,” where the rooms function as typical medical/surgical beds; and “infectious,” where all 20 rooms operate under negative pressure to care for infected patients and provide clinical safety.

King, B., Bodden, J., Steege, L., & Brown, C. J. (2020). Older adults experiences with ambulation during a hospital stay: A qualitative study. Geriatric Nursing

The inability to independently ambulate during an admission frequently results in “hospital associated disability” for older adults. Understanding and addressing ambulatory barriers from their point of view is essential to facilitate better outcomes. Focus groups were conducted to solicit and categorize responses. Researchers uncovered a new place-based concept that they referred to as “Danger Zones.” Unwelcoming environments, inadequate care planning, and interpersonal biases all contribute to challenges with older patient’s lack of ambulation. This study provides a prototype for identifying barriers to ambulation in healthcare settings from the perspective of older adults as well as a broader range of inpatients.

The challenges created by today’s growing mental health and substance abuse crises, especially in light of the recent pandemic, reach far beyond the behavioral health unit into emergency departments, outpatient clinics and throughout acute and ambulatory care settings.

To support improved care and enhance staff safety, today’s design, facility and care professionals have to advance their understanding of the environment’s impact on behavioral health care and learn how to incorporate the best and latest design solutions throughout all healthcare setting.

In this workshop, expert faculty will share current physical, mental and societal challenges posed when individuals age, discuss programming and design interventions that can assist people (and their care givers) with those challenges, and present case studies and examples that integrate architecture, design and technology into healthy, safe living environments. 

Albala, L., Bober, T., Hale, G., Warfield, B., Collins, M. L., Merritt, Z., Steimetz, E., Nadler, S., Lev, Y., & Hanifin, J. (2019). Effect on nurse and patient experience: Overnight use of blue-depleted illumination. BMJ Open Quality, 8(3), e000692.

Working at night shouldn't mean being kept in the dark. While blue-wavelength light is bad for patient sleep, no light is bad for everyone.

In this podcast, Alana M. Carter responds to the question, "how have you and your team responded to the pandemic and what’s happening now within your firm?” She shares, “It’s interesting as leaders.

Learn about the origins and expanding use of telemedicine for virtual care; the role of the built environment in facilitating care via telemedicine; and how evidence was used to support and develop language for guidance (requirements and recommendations). 

A unique solution that retrofits existing panic device trim to create a ligature resistant door opening. Ideal for adapting original panic device components with non-compliant trim, the LR-EX Series upgrades panic device openings to meet safety standards without affecting the rating of existing trim.