Survey of the practice of electroconvulsive therapy in North Carolina

A survey of North Carolina hospitals was conducted to determine the distribution and characteristics of facilities that offer electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Parameters examined in the survey included bed size, geographic location, and average volume of ECT treatments. Facilities that offer ECT make up only 14% of total hospitals surveyed. The majority of hospitals with ECT services are located in moderate to large urban areas. Specific areas of practice were surveyed for each facility, including type of ECT device, location of treatments/recovery, methods for monitoring ictal motor seizure, time required to perform treatments, staffing, and potential areas of ECT nursing education. Standard practices at facilities were found to be generally in compliance with American Psychiatric Association recommendations; differences in practices were identified. Potential nursing education topics related to ECT were ranked to determine those most useful to individual nursing staffs.