By nature of the conditions treated, there is an inherent risk in treating behavioral health patients. Whether it’s through reducing the risk of self-harm for a patient within the behavioral health unit, or quickly identifying disorders such as
depression or anxiety in a patient receiving care in another setting, having proper behavioral health resources and training to successfully help patients recover can benefit the entire hospital. This not only reduces risk during treatment, but also
reduces the possibility for rehospitalization, since health needs are addressed in the same care episode.
There are a variety of innovative solutions being used in behavioral health to reduce risk including:
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
An EHR system can help identify what additional services may be required for a patient to recover through detailed logging of patient data. Given the connection between physical and mental health, EHRs can help uncover previously unknown behavioral health
disorders, allowing a patient to receive prompt treatment and avoid readmission. This is especially important as depression among hospitalized patients can often go unrecognized and therefore untreated.3
Wearable Devices
Wearable devices, such as patient wrist bands, can play a crucial role in lowering both patient and staff risk. These devices can alert staff when a patient has left their room – keeping patients safe and helping staff maintain hospital compliance.
Utilizing wearable devices that keep care teams compliant with patient check-ups on a regular basis not only lowers the risk of reportable offenses by a patient, but helps patient receive the highest quality of care at all times.
By partnering, a hospital can gain access to innovative solutions without the heavy lift of developing them from the ground up. Moreover, patients can begin to reap the benefits of a more streamlined care team, resulting in enhanced patient satisfaction
and outcomes.