Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:20:44.379Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 44 - Assessing capacity, involuntary assessment, and leaving against medical advice

from Section 6. - Administration of psychiatric care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2013

By
Susan Stefan
Edited by
Leslie S. Zun
Edited in association with
Lara G. Chepenik  and
Mary Nan S. Mallory
Leslie S. Zun
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mt Sinai Hospital, Chicago
Lara G. Chepenik
Affiliation:
Yale University School of Medicine
Mary Nan S. Mallory
Affiliation:
University of Louisville, School of Medicine
Get access

Summary

This chapter discusses the differences and similarities, clinically and legally, between medical patients and psychiatric patients that wish to leave against medical advice (AMA). It reviews the legal landscape relating to departures AMA, the essential elements of a hospital policy relating to AMA departures by psychiatric patients who arise from this landscape, and practical ways that emergency department (ED) staff can respond to patients with potential psychiatric presentations who wish to leave AMA. Patients who leave without being seen are far more common than patients who leave AMA. At least some psychiatric patients are brought to the ED involuntarily, so they never wanted to be at the ED in the first place. If an individual arrives for help with psychiatric issues, and desires to leave before being evaluated, the ED staff to whom the request is communicated should immediately notify the nurse responsible for the patient's care.

Keywords

telepsychiatryrisk assessmentrural emergency psychiatric caresuicidal riskmental illnessbehavioral health assessmentmedical clearance
Type
Chapter
Information
Behavioral Emergencies for the Emergency Physician , pp. 324 - 334
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×