In the article Reviving and Managing your Contingency Plan authors Hunt and Sine discuss the ‘built design’ of an environment and solutions to eliminate ligature (hanging) points that should both respect the patients’ rights and be therapeutic.  This article explains that “easy fixes have all been made” and emphasizes that “self strangulation is the still the biggest concern.”

Hanging is still the most common method of suicide among behavioral health patients” says Sine.  Current Design Efforts seek to eliminate places where a patient can attach a ligature – a sheet, a shower curtain, a pair of pants – from which to hang.  Another solution rigs the top of doors with a pressure alarm…

It also focuses on The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal 15, which requires that each health care organization identify the safety risks inherent in its patient population and perform an assessment of the environmental risk factors present in the facility.