What is ‘ligature-resistant’?
The term ‘ligature-resistant’ describes any object that is designed to reduce the ability of securing a ligature to it.
As such, ligature-resistant design plays a crucial role in protecting those who are most vulnerable in behavioural health environments through reducing the risk of self-harm or suicide by use of a ligature.
Best practices within design for behavioural health facilities have greatly improved in recent years through collaborative efforts to create safer environments. Ligature-resistant design is one of the factors that has played a key role in this.
What is a 'ligature'?
A ‘ligature’ is any item that can be used to tie or bind something tightly, such as a rope, cord, or items of clothing or bedding.
Such items are commonly used in suicide attempts within behavioral health settings and challenging environments by anchoring them to ‘ligature points’ – a point on furniture, architecture, or any other physical object susceptible to ligature attachment.
Ligature-resistant design reduces the presence of these ligature points and therefore plays an essential role in mitigating the risk of a ligature being used to self-harm.
Why is 'ligature-resistant' design important in mental healthcare?
A study carried out in 2018 into the National Violent Death Reporting System and Sentinel Event databases found that hanging was the most common method of inpatient suicide in the United States, accounting for 70.5% of all inpatient suicide events. Of these suicides by hanging, 53.8% used a door as a ligature point. Further, 90% of inpatient suicides took place in private spaces such as the bedroom, bathroom or shower.
These findings support The Joint Commission’s recommendation that inpatient psychiatric units should be ligature-resistant in patient rooms, patient bathrooms, corridors and common patient care areas.
What ligature-resistant solutions are available for behavioural health?
Kingsway offer an extensive range of ligature-resistant internal door sets for behavioural and psychiatric healthcare facilities to ensure the ligature risk can be reduced in any given area, including; patient bedrooms, staff areas, communal spaces, washroom facilities and more.
Our Ligature-Resistant Door Systems are designed in collaboration with healthcare professionals and Experts by Experience to help prevent patient self-harm or suicide within challenging environments. Through our expertise gained in delivering ligature-resistant solutions for over 10,000 projects globally, we ensure the best-suited materials are selected to deliver the robustness and reliability demanded by mental health and behavioural health environments.
Ligature-Resistant Products for Behavioural Health
Aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing safety or security, our specialist Ligature-Resistant Doors and products improve patient and staff safety within behavioral health environments while contributing to creating calming, de-institutionalized spaces. And as Your Partner in Patient Safety, all our Ligature-Resistant Door Systems come with a 3-Year Guarantee at no extra cost.
In addition to ligature-resistant door systems, we offer a number of ligature-resistant Division 10 solutions to reduce risk within behavioral and psychiatric healthcare settings, including High-Strength Seating Solutions, Washroom Dispensers, Grab Bars & Handrails, Shatter-Resistant Mirrors, Coat & Towel Hooks, Vision Panels and more.
Want to learn more about our Ligature-Resistant solutions?
Why not book an online demonstration? We’ll provide you with live 1-to-1 product demonstrations remotely from our ligature-resistant showroom at a time of your convenience, as well as answering any questions you may have based on our experience in delivering over 10,000 risk-reducing projects.
Simply request a demo below and we’ll be in touch!
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