Risk assessment

Question 1

What is a risk assessment?

Answer 1

A process where information has been gathered, the level of risk identified, and a plan made to manage the identified risk.

Question 2

What are the different categories of risk?

Answer 2

Suicide, Violence, Self-harm, Neglect, Vulnerability, Absconding, Substance misuse, and other risks

Question 3

What is risk of suidide?

Answer 3

When a deliberate action is taken with the intent of ending ones life

Question 4

How might psychosis and suicide overlap?

Answer 4

People who live with psychosis may hear voices compelling or commanding them to make a suidide attempt

Question 5

What should be apart of a suicide assessment?

Answer 5

Asking about: Recent loss, lack of social supports (isolation), sense of helplessness/hopelessness, family hist of suicide, level of distress, mood, previous attempts, and access to the means of a plan

Question 6

Is suicide risk higher in men or women?

Answer 6

Men

Question 7

Is suicide risk higher for the older, middle age or younger population?

Answer 7

Younger and older

Question 8

What is risk of violence?

Answer 8

When someone has previously caused harm to someone

Question 9

What is a history of violence a strong indicator for?

Answer 9

Future risk (common in forensic settings)

Question 10

How can the nurse assess violence?

Answer 10

Assessing the indivudals engagement with care, access to support systems, adherence to prescribed medications, substance misuse, level of arousal, and the ability to use coping strategies

Question 11

How might psychosis overlap with the risk of violence?

Answer 11

People who live with psychosis may hear voices compelling or commanding them to act violently towards others

Question 12

What is the risk of self-harm?

Answer 12

The action of causing physical harm to ones self without the motivation to end ones life (The means of regulating emotional distress)

Question 13

What type of stressors influence the severity and frequency of self harm?

Answer 13

SITUATIONAL STRESSORS

Question 14

How may psychosis overlap with the risk of self-harm?

Answer 14

People who live with psychosis may hear voices compelling or commanding them to self-harm

Question 15

What substance greatly increases the risk of self-harm?

Answer 15

Alcohol

Question 16

What is the risk of neglect?

Answer 16

This refers to a diminished capacity for someone to care for ones self

Question 17

People who are depressed, paranoid, or have fewer support networks are at greater risk of what

Answer 17

Neglect

Question 18

What age is neglect commonly noticed in?

Answer 18

With the older population but increasingly in the younger

Question 19

How can the nurse assess neglect?

Answer 19

The patients mood, energy levels, and engagement with avaliable support networks

Question 20

A previous neglect incident can potentially provide information about what?

Answer 20

Appropriate supports/interventions the patient needs

Question 21

What is the risk of vulnerability (vicitimisation)?

Answer 21

Where people who live with a mental illness are more likely to fall victim to others rather than victimise others

Question 22

What are some assessable factors for the risk of vulnerability?

Answer 22

Being homeless, substance use or addictors, being female, cognitive impairment, being arrested in the last 12 months, previous incidents, residing in a custodial setting or level of mood

Question 23

What is the risk of absconding?

Answer 23

When a patient leaves the ward setting after an assessment has been made they they need to remain for safety reasons

Question 24

What feelings/other risks is absconding related to?

Answer 24

The risk of self-harm, suicide, substance use, harm to others, feeings of disempowermend, or the need for a sense of secrurity

Question 25

What is important to understanding when assessing the risk of absconding?

Answer 25

The motivation behind absconding

Question 26

Can people be genetically vulnerable to substance use and addiction or is this a learnt habitt?

Answer 26

This can be a genetic vulnerability

Question 27

What are some assessable risk factors for substance missue?

Answer 27

Health literacy, what the subtance is, how much is used, how frequently they use it, how they access it, and the cost of the substance

Question 28

Why is it important to document of risk assessment findings?

Answer 28

Because our information is useless without documentation

Question 29

What do we mean by ‘Historical factors/risk behaviours’ in a risk assessment?

Answer 29

This section is about making a timeline and identifying what has happened and when (4 stages)

Question 30

What are the 4 stages of Historical factors/risk behaviours?

Answer 30

Immediate, Current, Recent, and Past

Question 31

What is involved in the immediate stage of historical factors/risk behaviours?

Answer 31

At the time of the interview, this involves asking specific questions or observations to understand the here and now

Question 32

What is involved in the current stage of hisotrical factors/risk behaviours?

Answer 32

The past 48 hours for the patient, this involves identifying what happened in the last two days and pulling information from this relating to assessing risk

Question 33

What is involved in the recent stage of hisotrical factors/risk behaviours?

Answer 33

This is information from the last two months, this involves identifying what this person has done prior during this time relating to risk

Question 34

What is involved in the past stage of hisotrical factors/risk behaviours?

Answer 34

Information from over two months ago, this involves refering to hisorical notes and asking the patient of previous risk behaviours from that time

Question 35

What is involved in documenting clinical/internal factors?

Answer 35

Thinking what has internally driven this person to act in the manner that they did. Using the mental state examination and observations to document this

Question 36

What is involved in situational factors?

Answer 36

Any external factors that influence risk such as social situations, relationship issues, legal issues, employment, finances, stressors, substance use and access to wepons or lethal means to carry out plans to harm self or others

Question 37

What is formulation all about in the risk assessment?

Answer 37

This is where you pull all the information together and determine the level of risk for the patient (summary) . You need to make sure you prioritise the most important infromation at the beginning of the summary