{
  "abstract": "Objective This study aimed to identify and prioritise practical risk mitigation strategies that can be implemented by paediatric teams to improve the safety of children and young people (CYP) in mental health crises admitted to acute paediatric care.Design A sequential two-stage mixed-methods exploratory study.Setting UK acute paediatric hospitals/wards.Participants 16 Healthcare Professionals/CYP experts through experience.Interventions None.Main outcome measures In stage 1, risk mitigation strategies were identified through a systematic review and qualitative interviews followed by thematic analysis. In stage 2, strategies were prioritised using a hybrid Nominal Group Technique and modified Delphi process and stratified according to clinical risk level (low, medium, high, very high) using a validated paediatric mental health risk assessment framework.Results 26 risk mitigation strategies were identified, of which 16 achieved expert consensus (≥70%) for clinical usefulness. Clinically actionable strategies included: structured safety checks on admission and daily thereafter; proactive environmental modification to reduce triggers (noise, crowding, ligature risks); active 1:1 observation focused on therapeutic engagement rather than surveillance; prioritisation of timely assessment and escalation to specialist mental health services and routine use of multidisciplinary safety huddles. Strategies were mapped to risk level, enabling paediatric teams to tailor interventions proportionately to assessed risk.Conclusions This study provides an evidence-informed, consensus-based set of risk mitigation strategies that can be implemented immediately within acute paediatric care. By embedding structured safety checks, therapeutic engagement and risk-informed environmental controls into routine practice, non-mental health clinicians can enhance safety and consistency of care for CYP admitted in mental health crisis.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Aikaterina Kaltsa"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK",
        "School of Healthcare, University of Leicester College of Life Sciences, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Takawira C Marufu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Tim Carter"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Zaki Albelbisi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Healthcare Equipment & Technology Adoption, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sarah Bolton"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Philip Breedon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Michael P Craven"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kate Frost"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Anthony Harbottle"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Elizabeth Hendron"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Health Innovation East Midlands, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Julian Patel"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Laura Rad"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Peter White"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Damian Wood"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Callum Stevenson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Pavan Landa"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Jane Coad"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK",
        "School of Healthcare, University of Leicester College of Life Sciences, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Joseph C Manning"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Risk mitigation for children and young people in mental health crisis admitted to acute paediatric care: a mixed methods exploratory study",
  "uid": "7eaad43b-c4a8-58d0-aeea-a6c9a342b133"
}