Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health Unit 52 is a 14-bed adult inpatient psychiatric that consists of 10 private and two semi-private rooms. There are several dayrooms and group rooms. The average length of stay on the unit is 16 days.
The focus of the unit is assessment and acute care of persons with a major psychiatric disorders, especially geriatric patients, and those individuals who have a psychiatric or substance abuse disorder and medical or surgical problems which require active evaluation and intervention. Individuals with refractory OCD are also admitted to this unit. Adolescents may be admitted if they require the specialized services of a psychiatric unit located in a medical center.
We are a Baker Act receiving facility, and the patients on the unit may be either voluntary or involuntary admissions. As required, court hearings related to the Baker Act occur on the unit. These hearings deal with petitions for involuntary placement and for extraordinary treatment.
Our philosophy is based on the bio-psycho-social model and the belief that the patient and the patient’s family or significant other is at the center of the multidisciplinary team effort. Each team member is believed to be vital to the functioning of the team, including the assessment, treatment plan development, provision of care and evaluation of treatment outcomes. This team includes the psychiatrist, social worker, registered nurse, mental health tech, recreation therapists, dietitian, staff from Rehab services (PT, OT and Speech therapists), consult teams from various medical services,including psychology, practitioners from Infection Control, Wound Services, Respiratory Therapy and others.
Primary Objectives
- To contribute to the comprehensive treatment of the patient.
- To involve the patient’s family or significant other in the treatment process as possible.
- To protect and ensure patients’ rights.
- To assure that a continuum of services is developed and implemented, whether within Shands or via referrals to other treatment providers and support groups.
- To provide education for the patient and family to enhance knowledge and participation in treatment, relapse prevention and healthy life styles.
- To provide an educational setting for students in a variety of health care programs.
- To serve as a setting for clinical research following approval by the IRB.
- To participate in the community by providing education and interventions focused on prevention and early detection of psychiatric disorders and particularly the treatment of geriatric patients, particularly those with dementia.
Patient Care and Unit Personnel
Nursing staff collaborate with other team members and provide inpatient care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nursing staff include the nurse manager, registered nurses and mental health techs. Unit clerks and a unit secretary provide ancillary support to all members of the team.
Recreation therapy staff, therapists and aides are part of the unit. These staff provide assessment of leisure skills and engage patients in a variety of activities and education. These include exercise, healthy eating, craft and music groups, reminiscence groups, coping skills and others. Socialization among patients and staff is encouraged. Volunteers, often UF students, contribute to engaging patients in social dialogue and activities.
Medical care is coordinated through the leadership of a Medical Director from the Department of Psychiatry. The medical care is provided by an attending psychiatrist, residents and/or interns 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
Social work services are delivered by licensed clinical social workers who are assigned to the unit. They participate in assessment of needs, family education and counseling, Baker Act processes and in discharge planning.
The delivery of nursing care utilized is total patient care with coworker assistance. Nursing clinical functions/treatments include: patient and family education, counseling and support, medication administration, preparation for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, IV therapy, pain management (excluding epidural analgesia), monitoring vital signs, monitoring oxygen use, pre and post ECT care and wound care. Patients may be on isolation precautions except for those organisms requiring negative pressure. Nursing staff are also involved in engaging patients in activities, assisting with ADLs and escorting patients off the unit for tests and procedures.
Milieu management is critical. This includes a focus on the ‘No-Fail Environment.’ Monitoring patients for special observation levels and precautions are other significant activities. Routine patient observations are made every 15 minutes. Some patients are on eye contact observations while awake or continuously, and some individuals receive one-to-one monitoring. Precautions include fall risk, suicide precautions, assault precautions and escape precautions.
Collaboration on the unit among nurses is fostered by the mentoring of staff, the participation in multidisciplinary care rounds and the commitment to the team approach to care. All newly hired registered nurses complete an orientation at the hospital, department and unit level. The length of orientation is based on their skills and previous experience. Nursing staff are provided educational experiences to attain and maintain competence in their role as defined by the job description for the specific role and according to the departmental education plan. Mental health techs and unit clerks meet the basic requirements for their positions and function in accordance with their unit-based job description, as described in the Hospital Plan for Nursing Care.