New Risk Assessment Tool At Michigan’s State Psychiatric Hospitals Reduces Incidents, Injuries To Inpatients, Staff

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced the implementation of daily risk assessments and care planning as part of its ongoing efforts to improve care and minimize incidents of aggression and injuries to inpatients and staff at Michigan’s four state psychiatric hospitals. This new process has resulted in a 47% reduction in patient injuries and a 27% decrease in serious patient-related staff injuries.

The new process uses the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA), a seven-item risk assessment rating used to evaluate the likelihood of aggression in behavioral health inpatients within 24 hours. Individuals . . .