Who remembers pop-o-matic Trouble?

In something of a variation on another bloggy evergreen, I ask the rhetorical question: To what, if any, extent have you included consideration of  board games in your physical environment risk assessments for behavioral health? As I think towards a generation (are they already here?) for which the glories of board games will be forever lost, our friends in Chicago offer the latest challenge in managing risks with our all-too-vulnerable patient populations (for those of you of a certain vintage, the description of a board game is very nearly worth the price of admission).

The article describes the quite inventive use of a plastic board game piece to defeat the reptilian tamper-resistant screws and suggest some alternative products that do not so easily surrender to such efforts. I don’t know that I’ve been privy to a lot of discussion relative to board games in the behavioral health setting, but I suppose this would come under the heading of “everything has an inherent, though perhaps not apparent, risk.” Based on some recent surveys, it seems that Joint Commission surveyors have been rather inventive in looking for physical environment elements that have not been specifically accounted for in the assessment process. The classic example is including medical beds in the risk assessment, but not specifically mentioning the risks associated with the ligature-resistance (or not) of the side rails, bed frame, etc. Sooooooo, if they have not yet been included in your risk assessment activities, it might be a good time to pull a little group together and ponder the use of board games (and perhaps other such items) as a function of the behavioral health physical environment risk assessment.

Should we think about Halloween candy as well?!?

Check and mate!

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.