Patient Safety, Self-harm, and Psychosocial Assessments

In this course, Dr. Leah Quinlivan, research fellow, Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, shares statistics which note that the incidence of self-harm is rising in younger, mid-life, and older adults and is England’s highest category of reported patient safety incidents. While evidence shows that psychosocial assessments can help get patients the assistance they need, they are not performed in 40% of cases. Dr. Quinlivan discusses the reasons, and also outlines how they are sometimes unhelpful even when they are administered. She discusses what could help, and offers cautious optimism for the future based on developments underway with her associates which will help to integrate evidence-based approaches to treating patients presenting with self-harm.