A statewide survey of ECT policies and procedures

The 1990 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Electroconvulsive Therapy ( ECT) Task Force Recommendations include facility policy and procedure guide lines. The objectives of this study were to determine and to improve the ad herence to the 1990 APA ECT Task Force Recommendations on policies and proc edures among the providers of ECT in Louisiana. Completed surveys on ECT po licy and procedures were obtained from the seven major Louisiana ECT provid ers from the last quarter of 1996. Project coordinators distributed copies of the survey results and a comprehensive set of ECT policies and procedure s at a statewide meeting of participating hospitals during the spring of 19 97. Most facilities had policies for electrical safety of ECT equipment, te sting of new ECT equipment, pre-ECT work-up, ECT informed consent, patient instruction sheets, outpatient ECT, documentation of ECT procedures, clinic al privileging, and ECT quality assurance monitoring. Subsequent telephone fellow-up found that all participants changed their policies and procedures as a result of the project. Louisiana ECT providers showed general complia nce with the facility policy and procedure aspects of the 1990 APA ECT Task Force Recommendations. The awareness model of guideline compliance was app licable to improving facility policies and procedures.