VHA National Center for Patient Safety
Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist (MHEOCC)
The Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist (MHEOCC) (03/07/2022, XLSX) was developed for Veterans Affairs Hospitals to use to review inpatient mental health units for environmental hazards. The purpose is to identify and abate environmental hazards that could increase the chance of patient suicide or self-harm.
The checklist has been used in all VA mental health units since October 2007. Contact ncps@va.gov for more information.
Mental Health Guide
VHA's Environmental Programs Service has released its first Mental Health Guide. The Guide offers recommended products and solutions to ensure our Veterans are cared for in a safe, and therapeutically enriching environment.
It was developed by a multidisciplinary team comprising of members from the VA National Center for Patient Safety, Nursing, Safety, Environmental Management, and Interior Design. Members of the team developed criteria and shared information with industry leaders.
The Guide will serve as a living document to allow updates to be added as new products are identified and verified. It contains the following valuable resources:
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Products and ideas for use in Inpatient Mental Health areas, including both positive and cautionary attributes to consider before purchase.
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Products developed by industry with feedback from Integrated Product Team members.
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Background to educate staff to evaluate products at the facility level.
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Training module and sample checklists for non-clinical staff who may access a locked inpatient mental health unit for routine maintenance and inspection.
Improving the safety of the Mental Health environment in VHA is a responsibility to be taken very seriously. We hope the Guide will be a valued resource for creating healing environments for our Veterans.
Learn More
Mills, P.D., Lori A King, L.A., Watts, B V, Hemphill, R. H. (2013). Inpatient suicide on mental health units in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals: avoiding environmental hazards, General Hospital Psychiatry, 35(5),528–536.
Abstract
Introduction
One thousand five hundred suicides take place on inpatient psychiatry units in the United States each year, over 70% by hanging. Understanding the methods and the environmental components of inpatient suicide may help to reduce its incidence.
Methods
All Root Cause Analysis reports of suicide or suicide attempts in inpatient mental health units in VA hospitals between December 1999 and December 2011 were reviewed. We coded the method of suicide, anchor point and lanyard for cases of hanging, and implement for cutting, and brought together all other reports of inpatient hazards from VA staff for review.
Results
There were 243 reports of suicide attempts and completions: 43.6% (106) were hanging, 22.6% (55) were cutting, 15.6% (38) were strangulation, and 7.8% (19) were overdoses. Doors accounted for 52.2% of the anchor points used for the 22 deaths by hanging; sheets or bedding accounted for 58.5% of the lanyards. In addition, 23.1% of patients used razor blades for cutting.
Conclusions
The most common method of suicide attempts and completions on inpatient mental health units is hanging. It is recommended that common lanyards and anchor points be removed from the environment of care. We provide more information about such hazards and introduce a decision tree to help healthcare providers to determine which hazards to remove.
Watts, B.V., Young-Xu, Y., Mills P.D., DeRosier, J.M., Kemp, J., Shiner, B. & Duncan, W.E. (2012). An Examination of the Effectiveness of a Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist in Reducing Suicide on Inpatient Mental Health Units. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(6), 588-592.
Abstract
Context
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. While suicides occurring during psychiatric hospitalization represent a very small proportion of the total number of suicides, these events are highly preventable owing to the controlled nature of the environment. Many methods have been proposed, but no interventions have been tested.
Objective
To evaluate the effect of identification and abatement of hazards on inpatient suicides in the VHA.
Design, Setting and Patients
The effect of implementation of a checklist (the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist) and abatement process designed to remove suicide hazards from inpatient mental health units in all VHA hospitals was examined by measuring change in the rate of suicides before and after the intervention.
Intervention
Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist.
Main Outcome Measure
The number of completed suicides on inpatient mental health units in VHA hospitals.
Results
Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist was associated with a reduction in the rate of completed inpatient suicide in VHA hospitals nationally. This reduction remained present when controlling for number of admissions (2.64 per 100 000 admissions before to 0.87 per 100 000 admissions after implementation; P < .001) and bed days of care (2.08 per 1 million bed days before to 0.79 per 1 million bed days after implementation; P < .001).
Conclusions
Use of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist was associated with a substantial reduction in the inpatient suicide rate occurring on VHA mental health units. Use of the checklist in non-VHA hospitals may be warranted.
