How do you decide when and how often to reach out to patients with serious mental illness who are disengaging from care due to psychosocial stressors?
How do balance concern for safety with patient autonomy? What factors do you take into consideration when determining whether to proactively reach out to a patient who has been intermittently inconsistent with care?
2 Answers
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Psychiatry · University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Answered on
Outreach is always determined on a case-by-case basis, so it's difficult to give a definitive answer on this. Important factors to consider are the person's functional status, potential risk for harm without care, their decision-making ability, and the intensity of stressors. Obviously, those who ar...
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Mednet Member
Psychiatry · Private Practice
Answered on
My office will reach out several times. If no response, I will send a formal termination letter with the option to reapply to my practice. That way, I'm not responsible for future problems. I will always continue prescriptions for 60 days.
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