Safety and environmental factors in accreditation of facilities

The standards developed in 1972 by the Accreditation Council for Psychiatric Facilities of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals cover 28 components of mental health programs, including the environment and patient safety. The author discusses the standards related to those two areas as they are set forth in the council's Accreditation Manual for Psychiatric Facilities, and he describes the difficulties psychiatric hospitals have faced in complying with them.