The London Health Sciences Centre is going to take another look at its policy to put armbands on patients who have been identified as having the "potential for violence."
In a statement on its website, the LHSC said it will review the policy, which has been in effect since May. While patients have the option of refusing to wear the armband, concerns have been raised about the impact of the armbands on the stigma faced by patients with mental health issues, as well as the privacy of patients.
The statement says the policy was required as part of a negotiated settlement with the Ontario Labour Relations Board and applies to all patients receiving care at the LHSC. The hospital said the safety of all patients, employees, and visitors is still a top priority, but the LHSC is still "committed to listening to our patients and their families as we continued to work meaningfully with our care teams to determine what steps could be taken to address any concerns, while still honouring the terms of the settlement agreement."
"Further to that commitment, and as part of our standard policy review process, LHSC is taking steps to review its application of the violence screening tool, while still allowing for compliance with the Minutes of Settlement," the statement said. "These steps include in-person consultations with patients and their families, as well as undertaking an analysis of data over a six-month period to further understand the impact of the tool and scoring system, and identify opportunities to improve the BSA process. We are targeting to have consultation and analysis complete by spring 2019 and the findings will be presented to relevant LHSC committees for review, including our Joint Health and Safety Committee."
The full statement can be read here.
