There are many different reasons people do not seek mental health care in Dubai, but many of them can be attributed to incidents in their lives. These incidents include poor communication between staff and physicians, medical errors, and patient self-harm. This article will look at some of the most common ones.
Communication between patients, staff members, and physicians:
Communication between patients, staff members, and physicians is essential to the quality of mental health care. Physicians and staff members often need to communicate more effectively. Psychiatrists must have empathy and language skills to communicate with patients effectively. They should avoid using medical jargon in their conversations with patients. They should also avoid judgment and try to explain concepts to patients. Patients should be offered food during their visit to help them develop a therapeutic relationship with their healthcare provider.
Inadequate protection systems in psychiatric units:
Patients’ safety is directly related to the protection systems of psychiatric units. Inadequate protection systems can result in adverse events such as improper monitoring and self-harm. In addition to inadequate monitoring, patients can be misdiagnosed and treated with inappropriate treatments. Moreover, a lack of protection systems can result in treatment, medication administration, and even food administration mistakes.
Medical errors in psychiatric care:
There are many medical errors in caring for people with mental illnesses. Some are avoidable. However, most of these errors are caused by communication problems. This often happens when information is transferred across organizational boundaries. Medication errors, for example, can lead to serious consequences. According to a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) study, as many as 7,000 patients die yearly due to medication errors. Furthermore, the additional costs to hospitals from these errors can reach DH 4,700 per patient yearly.
Patient self-harm:
While self-harm incidents in hospitals are not new, they are particularly troubling in the mental healthcare environment. According to the Suicide prevention lifeline, approximately one person dies from suicide every 16 minutes. That’s over 30,000 people a year. Hospitals must address these issues, and preventing patient self-harm incidents should be a priority. This guide outlines the steps hospitals can take to minimize these instances and support patients’ recovery.
