According to a Joint Commission study, about half of the 49 to 65 suicides that occur annually in in-patient units in the U.S., take place in the bathroom. Hanging accounts for about seventy-percent of those suicides.
It is not just behavioral healthcare providers who need ligature-resistant products to comply with the Joint Commission and other regulatory agencies. Ligature-resistant products apply to any facility that comes in contact with those who are at risk.
We are seeing an increase in demand for ligature-resistant products in patient rooms, emergency rooms, urgent care clinics, rehabilitation facilities, addiction centers, behavioral health facilities, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and centers that specialize in the care of our veterans.
Sadly, we are even starting to see requests for ligature-resistant bathroom fixtures from junior and senior high schools. School bathrooms have long been the domain of bullies, and now we are told it is the location of choice for those children and teens who have chosen to end their lives.
If your facility interacts with potentially at-risk people, have a conversation about the steps you can take to make your patients or students safer.
For more information about our BestCare line of ligature-resistant products and more information about how you can help facility owners keep their patients and students safe, download our BestCare product brochure, or visit BestCare on our website.