Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
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Australas Psychiatry · Jun 2016
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? An audit of records of involuntary detention.
To determine the appropriateness and utility of the certificates issued under the New South Wales Mental Health Act (MHA) and compliance with the requirements of the MHA. The analysis also compares MHA documentation by different groups of health professionals and police. ⋯ A number of patients are presently being detained under incomplete MHA certificates. Educational initiatives that aim to improve awareness of the MHA's requirements, and the potential uses of the information contained in MHA certificates, could encourage professionals to complete these certificates in a more appropriate and clinically useful manner.