A suicidal patient agreed on day 2 of hospitalization to write and sign a "no self-harm contract." As a result of this contract, the health care team should plan to:
a. Discontinue suicide precautions.
b. Base the level of observation on staff assessment.
c. Reduce observation to observing the patient every hour.
d. Reduce one-to-one observation to observing the patient every 15 minutes.
ANS: B
Research suggests that no-harm contracts may not prevent self-harm; therefore any reduction in suicide precautions is incorrect. Staff assessment needs to be continued and based on ob-servation.
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