Avoiding negligent release: contemporary clinical and risk management strategies

Mental health professionals often must decide whether to release a psychiatric patient who has been committed for treatment on the basis of being mentally ill and dangerous. This decision involves liability risks if the patient becomes violent after release. The author draws together several recommendations made in the literature regarding the careful development and implementation of hospital release procedures, including 1) special consultation at the policy development stage, 2) preemptive judgments regarding the adequacy of hospital policies in relation to the professional standard of care, and 3) the use of videotaped exit interviews with patients at the time of their release.