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Architectural design and acute psychiatric care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Rizwan Taj  and
John Sheehan
Rizwan Taj*
Affiliation:
Kildare Mental Health Service, Eastern Health Board, Kildare, Ireland
John Sheehan
Affiliation:
Kildare Mental Health Service, Eastern Health Board, Kildare, Ireland
*
∗Trinity Court, 30–31 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
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Abstract

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All staff based in a newly built acute psychiatric unit for more than six months were asked about the difficulties they encountered in the implementation of their duties and what changes they recommended. The problem areas identified included poor design and location of nursing observation station, lack of proper seclusion facilities, insufficient ventilation, unsafe position of the roof garden, exposed beams and supports, proximity to the lake and inadequate interview facilities for all staff. The urgent recommendations included alteration in the design and positioning of observation station, improving ventilation, making the roof garden safe, and covering all exposed beams and supports. The desirable changes included extra interviewing facilities and a spacious observable television room. Consultation by mental health professionals during the initial stage of designing of psychiatric units is essential.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 18 , Issue 5 , May 1994 , pp. 279 - 281
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994

References

References and further reading

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Barefoot, P. (1992) Psychiatric wards in DGHs. An architect's comments. Psychiatric Bulletin, 16, 99–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Gale, S.W., Mesnikoff, A., Fine, J. et al (1980) A study of suicide in state mental hospitals in New York City. Psychiatric Quarterly, 52, 201–213.Google Scholar
Goh, S.E., Salmons, P.H. & Whittington, R.M. (1989) Hospital suicides: are there preventable factors? Profile of psychiatric hospital suicide. British Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 247–249.Google Scholar
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