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ite, and patient population; (2) ensuring congruence between the individual's and the organization's values; (3) providing support for nonclinical administrative tasks; (4) maintaining professional and social communication, support, and supervision via multiple channels.Therapeutic management of risk for other-directed violence (ODV) involves screening, assessment, and clinically appropriate intervention. In this 5-part series, effective screening and assessment for ODV have been described as a combination of clinical interviewing and the use of structured tools to inform clinical impressions of both acute and chronic risk for violence. Once risk of violence is identified, therapeutic management of the risk throughout the course of treatment is best achieved by determining the function of the violent ideation and behavior. This can be achieved through the use of functional chain analysis. Chain analysis not only serves the purpose of providing insight into the contingencies of violent behavior but also helps to identify target areas of intervention where other skills, strategies, and means to access resources for support can be applied. In this fifth and final column of the series, we describe an intervention with all of these outcomes as its goals. A safety plan for ODV assists both clients and mental health professionals in disrupting patterns of violent ideation or behavior that would otherwise continue causing not only harm to others but prolonged negative consequences for those engaging in such behaviors.This column explains the value of developing routine medical necessity letters to help patients maximize the likelihood of securing insurance approval for medically necessary services for the treatment of mental and substance use disorders, including psychotherapeutic treatment. The structure proposed for such medical necessity letters is based on the terms of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the landmark verdict in the federal class action known as Wit v. United Behavioral Health/Optum.Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) results are a biological measure of the ability of the patient to clear a drug as long as the patient is adhering to the prescribed dosage. If the patient is not adherent, then TDM can provide evidence of such nonadherence. To properly interpret TDM results, several variables must be considered. First and foremost is the dose the patient is supposed to be taking. The second variable is whether the patient should have achieved a steady-state condition, which means that the amount of drug the patient is taking in a day is equal to the amount the patient is eliminating in the same day so that the level will not change unless changes occur in either the dosing rate or the ability of the patient to clear the drug. For drugs with a half-life of 24 hours, steady state typically occurs when the patient has been taking the same dose for 5 to 7 days (ie, 5 x the half-life). The third variable is the time between when the last dose was taken and the sample was obtained. Ideally, for mosthese results are a measure of the ability of the patient to clear the drug. For depot medications (eg, antipsychotics), the results should be obtained at the end of the dosing cycle just before the administration of the drug and after the patient has ideally received 4 to 5 injections at equal intervals (eg, monthly) to be near steady-state. Parenthetically, TDM at the appropriate fixed interval (usually monthly) with depot medications is much less sensitive to timing issues than TDM of orally administered drugs. This column explains the rationale for obtaining TDM results, principally focusing on orally administered drugs and how to optimally chart and disseminate these results.
There is growing evidence that higher levels of physical activity are associated with better mental health. Furthermore, interventional studies have shown that exercise may improve symptoms in a number of psychiatric conditions. Despite this evidence, relatively little information is available about how these findings have been translated into clinical practice. The goal of this study was to characterize the exercise prescribing practices of health care providers from different subspecialties and evaluate factors that may influence their prescribing practices.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey among faculty and staff from a large academic tertiary care medical center in the southeastern United States. Participants were invited to complete the survey via email or departmental newsletters. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and ordered logistic regression was used to analyze practices about exercise as a therapy for psychiatric illness.
A total of 185 respondents completed thestent with national guidelines or empirical research.This paper introduces a new prevention strategy against child sexual abuse (both offline and online) in the United States. The Global Prevention Project is a supportive treatment program designed for nonoffending minor-attracted persons who reside in the community. Attraction to minors and the underlying scientific terms (pedophilia/hebephilia) are discussed and a framework is provided for how to implement such a program in the United States. Our treatment modality is described to provide transparency in our clinical work. We discuss challenges encountered in this domain with possible solutions and the legal ramifications of preventing child sexual abuse behaviors by targeting nonoffending individuals.The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an exponential rise in mental health issues. Studies have shown that, in times of increased unemployment rates and economic downturn, rates of mental health issues, suicide, substance use, and domestic violence tend to increase. Barriers to care, including stigma and decreased access to providers, contribute to morbidity and mortality. Telehealth services are being utilized to help increase access to care, and economic stimulus packages have been created to help with the financial burden that is often associated with increased mental health stressors. Efforts to prevent burnout and other policy recommendations can help decrease mental health issues in first responders and health care professionals, who are at an increased risk for these problems. Increasing the ability to provide wellness screenings to the general population, to educate the public about preventive measures and practices, and to provide mental health and substance use treatment, such as medication management and therapy services, are among top priorities to further reduce the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on mental illness.Telehealth has been rapidly deployed in the environment of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to help meet critical mental health needs. As systems of care use telehealth during the pandemic and evaluate the future of telehealth services beyond the crisis, a quality and safety framework may be useful in weighing important considerations for using telehealth to provide psychiatric and behavioral health services within special populations. Examining access to care, privacy, diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability of telehealth to meet behavioral and psychiatric care needs in geriatric and disadvantaged youth populations can help highlight key considerations for health care organizations in an increasingly electronic health care landscape.
Moral distress (MD) has been linked to health care professional burnout, intent to leave, and decreased quality of care.
The aim of this study was to describe the perceptions of MD among critical care interdisciplinary team members and assess the association of MD with team member characteristics.
A descriptive cross-sectional design was used with interdisciplinary team members in an intensive care unit setting at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the southeastern United States. The Measure of Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals was provided to registered nurses, oncology technicians, providers, respiratory therapists, and ancillary team members (social workers, pharmacists, dietitians).
A total of 67 team members completed the survey. Mean responses for 3 items were higher than 8 (halfway point of scale) "Follow family's insistence to continue aggressive treatment even though I believe it is not in the best interest of patient" (mean [SD], 11.4 [4.8]); "Continue to provide aggressive treatment for a patient most likely to die regardless of this treatment when no one will make a decision to withdraw it" (mean [SD], 10.5 [5.3]); and "Witness providers giving 'false hope' to patient/family" (mean [SD], 9.0 [5.3]). check details Higher responses on the "Continuing to provide aggressive treatment" item was associated with having "considered leaving due to MD" (P = .027) and "considering leaving now due to MD" (P = .016). Higher total scores were related to having left or considered leaving a job (P = .04). When examining education level, registered nurses with a master's degree (n = 5) exhibited the most MD (P = .04).
This study suggests that the Measure of Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals is useful in identifying areas for focused efforts at reducing MD for interdisciplinary teams.
This study suggests that the Measure of Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals is useful in identifying areas for focused efforts at reducing MD for interdisciplinary teams.
Laboratory testing is frequently used to guide postoperative management and contributes to hospital resource utilization; however, there is little evidence identifying patient or clinical factors to inform the appropriate frequency of laboratory testing in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.
To examine the factors associated with increased laboratory utilization following pediatric congenital heart surgery.
For each patient, the total number of tests and types of laboratory tests were recorded. Patients whose number of tests was greater than the 90th percentile were categorized as increased laboratory use.
A sample of 250 unique patients and 909 nursing shifts were obtained for patient- and shift-level analyses. The top 10% of patients identified as the high laboratory utilization group (>128 laboratory tests). High-use group reported significantly younger patients and longer bypass time (P < .001). Patients in the highest Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1 risk category were 34.7 times more likely to be in high laboratory utilization group (P = .006), independent of age at time of surgery and time on bypass (receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.855). At the shift level, time on bypass (P = .002), age younger than 30 days at surgery (P < .001), 3 to 5 years' registered nurse experience (P < .001), staff precepting (P = .03), and weekday shift status (P = .03) were all independently associated with high laboratory utilization.
There are multiple factors associated with increased laboratory utilization. Recognition of specific patient and nursing factors can be used to impact patient management.
There are multiple factors associated with increased laboratory utilization. Recognition of specific patient and nursing factors can be used to impact patient management.
