Quality of Care
TAC affirms that to improve outcomes and reduce early mortality, the mental health care system must ensure timely access to high-quality, evidence-based care for people experiencing serious mental illness (SMI) with psychosis, delivered in a manner that is compassionate, trauma informed, and oriented toward an improved quality of life.
High-quality mental health care should be available to all individuals experiencing SMI with psychosis, regardless of whether treatment is provided voluntarily or involuntarily. Policies and practices should promote adherence to evidence-based standards of care, reduce the use of seclusion and restraint, ensure proactive management of medication side effects, and strengthen accountability for the identification and treatment of co-occurring medical conditions. Patient rights protections should uphold the wishes of individuals with decisional capacity and safeguard the dignity and well-being of those who lack capacity. To support sustained treatment engagement and better outcomes, services should be trauma informed and delivered not only to improve symptoms but to enhance quality of life. Ongoing improvements to clinical protocols, provider training, and oversight, including the systematic use of lessons learned from adverse event reviews, are necessary to strengthen care and reduce preventable harms.
Recommended Actions
- Prepare health care professionals to effectively treat SMI with psychosis.
- Establish clear protocols for use of seclusion and restraint.
- Require screening for co-occurring medical conditions and medication side effects.
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