title: Examining the efficacy of no-suicide contracts in inpatient psychiatric settings: implications for psychiatric nursing.
abstract: Verbal and written no-suicide contracts are commonly practiced by psychiatric nurses in inpatient psychiatric facilities. However, evidence is sparse regarding whether no-suicide contracts are effective tools for maintaining patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of the verbal and written no-suicide contracts, discuss the resulting implications for psychiatric nurses on inpatient units, and suggest alternative clinical practices for inpatient psychiatric nurses to utilize to increase patient safety.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, Health and Community Systems, 3500 Victoria Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. krp12@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Puskar
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Urda
mesh_terms: D032982:Contracts; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D018570:Risk Assessment; D000092864:Suicide Prevention