Abstract
Higashiowari National Hospital of Mental Disorders is a participating institution in the Aichi psychiatric emergency system, despite its small number of doctors. We have attempted to standardize the treatment of psychiatric emergency, and developed the Higashiowari hospital guidelines for acute psychiatric treatment with the aim of providing safe, efficient and high quality medical care. These guidelines may be summarized by the following 7 points: 1) A weekly round of visits by the director in order to supervise the medical care of patients individually, 2) clarification of standards for hospitalization, 3) speedy examination of physical problems, 4) checklists for strict observance of the Law for Mental Health and Mentally Handicapped Persons' Welfare, 5) use of flunitrazepam for acute management of agitated patients, 6) introduction of clinical pathways including psychosocial education and social skills training, 7) guidelines for the treatment of patients with substance use disorders. The function of these guidelines was analyzed by using statistic data from the Higashiowari acute phase ward.
