2.Making decisions about the management of these patients should always be a collaborative effort between senior nursing staff and medical staff. If you are uncertain how to proceed, take advice. There is always a senior doctor on-call available to talk things through and their skills are there to be used. Taking advice is a sign of maturity, not weakness. 3.Always remember that these situations carry dangers for the patient.
Patients can die under emergency psychiatric treatment.
Although many disturbed patients are held in hospital under the Mental Health Act, in fact the authority to treat under these circumstances arises primarily from the common law duty of care. This involves our responsibility to make sure that even emergency treatment is humane and not out of proportion to the patient's degree of disturbance. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and the authority to treat under various sections of the Mental Health Act. If you have any doubts about the legality of the situation, contact a more senior doctor. Assessment You should never embark upon any treatment plan without having taken responsible steps to understand what is wrong with the patient.