Abstract
It is common for patients in long-term care or residential care settings to have a variety of different psychiatric conditions. While some facilities might have regular access to consulting psychiatrists, that is not common. The patients who reside in these facilities may also have chronic, complex diseases and be on a multitude of medications. Therefore, on-call psychiatrists must approach the care of these patients with caution, particularly if ordering psychoactive medications. Nurse staffing levels (e.g., number of patients/nurse) in these facilities are significantly less than in hospitals; most assisted living communities have no licensed nurses and few care aides. It is essential that on-call staff ensure a high level of communication with physicians and nurses to prevent medical errors and poor outcomes.
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Bakerjian, D., Xiong, G.L. (2016). Residential Medical Settings. In: Hategan, A., Bourgeois, J., Hirsch, C. (eds) On-Call Geriatric Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30346-8_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30346-8_20
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