title: Responding to life-safety needs in behavioral healthcare.
abstract: Rapid technological growth in the field of ligature-resistant locking to better secure patients who are at high risk of harming themselves or the staff members caring for them presents a critical range of options and decisions for product decision makers and specifiers in Behavioral Healthcare. In this article, the author, a leader in the electronic locking industry, reviews the factors to be aware of in selecting such systems for psychiatric patients including security, liability, and privacy; the quality and performance of each product; and the means of egress requirements or ease of operation for both patients and staff in different situations, including entering a room quickly or exiting a room in the event of the need for emergency evacuation.
authors.affiliation: Securitech Group, Inc, Queens, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services; D017751:Safety Management; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States