Patient Safety and Risk Management in Mental Health

Everyday a large number of patients are treated and cared for without incident by health care practitioners worldwide. Like other high risk industries safety incidents occur during the course of medical care, placing patients at risk for injury or harm. Over the past ten years, patient safety has been increasingly recognized as an issue of global importance, but much work remains to be done. Although many of the patient safety risk factors that exist in medical settings also apply to mental health settings, there are unique patient safety issues in mental health that are different to those in medical care. Seclusion and restraint use, self-harming behavior and suicide, absconding, and reduced capacity for self-advocacy are particularly prominent to mental health patients. Both the patient population and the environment make patient safety in mental health unique