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Ligature and/or Suicide Risk Reduction - Inpatient Psychiatric Units - Patient Transport

If patients are transported to another location (such as another building for programming), does that building/space need to be ligature resistant ?

Any examples are for illustrative purposes only.

Patients who are currently at high risk for suicide should remain in a ligature resistant environment. If a patient who is at high risk for suicide enters another unit/area/building that contains ligature and other safety risks, continuous monitoring with the ability to immediately intervene through the use of 1:1 observation - 1 qualified staff member to 1 high risk patient – is required. A qualified staff member is one that has been trained and has demonstrated competence in working with suicidal patients and performing 1:1 observation. 

Additional Resource
Suicide Prevention Portal
Manual: Critical Access Hospital
Chapter: National Patient Safety Goals NPSG
Last reviewed by Standards Interpretation: January 29, 2024 Represents the most recent date that the FAQ was reviewed (e.g. annual review).
First published date: June 27, 2018 This Standards FAQ was first published on this date.
This page was last updated on January 29, 2024 with update notes of: Review only, FAQ is current Types of changes and an explanation of change type: Editorial changes only: Format changes only. No changes to content. | Review only, FAQ is current: Periodic review completed, no changes to content. | Reflects new or updated requirements: Changes represent new or revised requirements.
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