<p>Accuracy and completeness of Mental Health Act forms applied to involuntary patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward</p>

Abstract

Background:The accuracy and completeness of Mental Health Act forms applied to involuntary patients in an inpatient unit is of paramount importance not only for legal but also for patient safety reasons within a hospital. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study of 250 patient charts from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014. Results: Chart review provided a total of 224 Form 3, 4, 30, and 33 certificates with an overall error rate of 13.19% completion. Of those physicians who completed these certificates, the error rate was 11.63% if a resident physician were to complete and 19.23% if a staff physician were to apply the form. Conclusion: As physicians, there is a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the accuracy of such documentation both ethically and practically as well as a responsibility to the patient and their rights under the Mental Health Act.

The integration of mental health care act in primary care: an audit of the use of mental health care act forms for patients' admission and the effect of continuing medical education on health professionals' performance of usage, based on Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital's experience, in Maun, Botswana

“…Using MHCA forms by both health professionals and other officers who reinforce mental health policies has been reported to be variables in terms of detailed documentation, appropriateness of usage and compliance. For example, in Australia over 10% of mental health forms failed to meet MHCA requirement of involuntary admission, with consequent unlawful detention [ 16 ]. Also, MHCA certificates errors of documentation by physicians were reported in varied proportion from 11% to 19%, implying the magnitude of unlawful detention by physicians in Canada [ 17 ].…”