Is it time for the mental health field to consider unplanned discharge a key metric of patient safety?

Natalie B Riblet; Daniel J Gottlieb; Bradley V Watts; Maxwell Levis; Robert Scott; Brian Shiner

Study

Is it time for the mental health field to consider unplanned discharge a key metric of patient safety?

May 4, 2022

Riblet NB, Gottlieb DJ, Watts BV, et al. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2022;210(3):227-230.

View more articles from the same authors.

Unplanned discharges (also referred to as leaving against medical advice) can lead to adverse patient outcomes. This study compared unplanned discharges across Veterans Health Affairs (VHA) acute inpatient and residential mental health treatment settings over a ten-year period and found that unplanned discharges are significantly higher in mental health settings. The authors recommend that unplanned discharges be measured to assess patient safety in mental health.

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