Risk Management in Nursing Practice
Bowers (2014) identifies the need for the preservation of safety as the most crucial objective for mental health nursing. However, this is a very isolative environment with seclusion being a part of this treatment and intervention. Clifton et al (2017) argues that this could lead to possible deterioration of social inclusion, independence and communication. Shared decision-making (SDM) is a frequently utilized model for the purpose of approaching sensitive decisions (Stiggelbout et al, 2015). This process is where clinicians and patients make decisions together, using the best available evidence, with consideration for the patient’s values and beliefs (Chi, 2018). The collaborative approach amongst professionals, patients and family can enhance the delivery of care through improved outcomes for service users. However according to the Department of Health (1999) mental health professionals faced with the task of providing care to service users with severe mental illnesses such as psychosis will need to act as care coordinators under the care program approach (DOH, 2008).
This is mandatory in the case of service users with serious and enduring mental illness (Lovell et al, 2018).
Professional standards set out by the NMC code, states that mental health professionals have a duty of care to preserve the safety of individuals (NMC, 2015) under the mental health act (amended 2007), through providing treatment, care, rehabilitation and protection to service users who are mentally dysfunctional or mentally ill, both voluntarily and involuntarily in some circumstances, where deemed to be at risk of harm to self or others (Scott, 2013). Therefore decisions are made in the best interest of the individual at the time of crisis (MCA, 2005).
