This article is about Psychiatric Intensive Care Units. For the intensive care unit for children, which shares the acronym PICU, see Pediatric intensive care unit.
Psychiatric intensive care is for patients who are in an acutely disturbed phase of a serious mental disorder. There is an associated loss of capacity for self-control with a corresponding increase in risk which does not allow their safe, therapeutic management and treatment in a less acute or a less secure mental health ward. Care and treatment must be patient-centred, multidisciplinary, intensive and have an immediacy of response to critical clinical and risk situations. Patients should be detained compulsorily under the appropriate mental health legislative framework, and the clinical and risk profile of the patient usually requires an associated level of security. Psychiatric intensive care is delivered by qualified and suitably trained multidisciplinary clinicians according to an agreed philosophy of unit operational policy underpinned by the principles of therapeutic intervention and dynamic clinically focused risk management
— NAPICU and NHS Clinical Commissioners, Guidance for Commissioners of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) (2016) [4]
Most individuals only stay on PICU wards for a very short time and are moved as soon as the crisis is over or the risky behaviours are under control. 2014 guidance says that the maximum length of stay should be 8 weeks.[5] Normally, patients are discharged to acute psychiatric wards, but some patients go straight home.
PICUs are locked and more secure wards, and have a low patient capacity when compared to open psychiatric wards. They have higher levels of staffing and are usually single-sex.[1][2]
As facility for the most disturbed patients it may contain a seclusion room for the management of violence and aggression. Other restrictive practices include rapid tranquillisation, ECT and high dose antipsychotics.[7]
Referencesedit
^ abc"Psychiatric Intensive Care Units". Elysium Healthcare. from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
^ abc"Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit". Huntercombe Group. from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
^"Psychiatric Intensive Care Units". Priory. from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
^National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units; NHS Clinical Commissioners (2016). "Guidance for Commissioners of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU)" (PDF).
^NAPICU; Design in Mental Health Network (2017). "Design Guidance for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units" (PDF).
^"What are the roles in a multi-disciplinary team on Psychiatric Intensive Unit (PICU)?". NAPICU. 26 February 2019.
^Pereira, Stephen; Sarsam, May; Bhui, Kamaldeep; Paton, Carol (2005). (PDF). Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care. 1 (1): 7–15. doi:10.1017/S1742646405000038. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
External linksedit
NAPICU website
Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care
December 15, 2023
psychiatric, intensive, care, unit, this, article, about, psychiatric, intensive, care, units, intensive, care, unit, children, which, shares, acronym, picu, pediatric, intensive, care, unit, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, h. This article is about Psychiatric Intensive Care Units For the intensive care unit for children which shares the acronym PICU see Pediatric intensive care unit This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Psychiatric intensive care unit news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Psychiatric Intensive Care Units or PICUs are specialist twenty four hour inpatient wards that provide intensive assessment and comprehensive treatment to individuals during the most acute phase of a serious mental illness 1 2 3 Psychiatric intensive care is for patients who are in an acutely disturbed phase of a serious mental disorder There is an associated loss of capacity for self control with a corresponding increase in risk which does not allow their safe therapeutic management and treatment in a less acute or a less secure mental health ward Care and treatment must be patient centred multidisciplinary intensive and have an immediacy of response to critical clinical and risk situations Patients should be detained compulsorily under the appropriate mental health legislative framework and the clinical and risk profile of the patient usually requires an associated level of security Psychiatric intensive care is delivered by qualified and suitably trained multidisciplinary clinicians according to an agreed philosophy of unit operational policy underpinned by the principles of therapeutic intervention and dynamic clinically focused risk management NAPICU and NHS Clinical Commissioners Guidance for Commissioners of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units PICU 2016 4 Most individuals only stay on PICU wards for a very short time and are moved as soon as the crisis is over or the risky behaviours are under control 2014 guidance says that the maximum length of stay should be 8 weeks 5 Normally patients are discharged to acute psychiatric wards but some patients go straight home PICUs are locked and more secure wards and have a low patient capacity when compared to open psychiatric wards They have higher levels of staffing and are usually single sex 1 2 PICUs have a diverse range of staff including mental health nurses psychiatrists psychologists pharmacists occupational therapists social workers activities co ordinators health care support workers and ward managers 1 2 6 As facility for the most disturbed patients it may contain a seclusion room for the management of violence and aggression Other restrictive practices include rapid tranquillisation ECT and high dose antipsychotics 7 References edit a b c Psychiatric Intensive Care Units Elysium Healthcare Archived from the original on 2021 10 22 Retrieved 2021 09 10 a b c Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit Huntercombe Group Archived from the original on 2021 09 10 Retrieved 2021 09 10 Psychiatric Intensive Care Units Priory Archived from the original on 2021 09 10 Retrieved 2021 09 10 National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units NHS Clinical Commissioners 2016 Guidance for Commissioners of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units PICU PDF NAPICU Design in Mental Health Network 2017 Design Guidance for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units PDF What are the roles in a multi disciplinary team on Psychiatric Intensive Unit PICU NAPICU 26 February 2019 Pereira Stephen Sarsam May Bhui Kamaldeep Paton Carol 2005 The London Survey of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units service provision and operational characteristics of National Health Service units PDF Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care 1 1 7 15 doi 10 1017 S1742646405000038 Archived from the original PDF on 2018 07 25 Retrieved 31 August 2022 External links editNAPICU website Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Psychiatric intensive care unit amp oldid 1181408987, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
