Tobias Wasser, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, and Rocksheng Zhong, MD, MHS, lecturer in psychiatry, have been chosen to receive the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) 2022 Carol Davis Ethics Award.
The award is given annually by the APA Ethics Committee to APA members who have authored outstanding publications on ethics.
Wasser and Zhong are being honored for their article,“The Cost of Safety: Balancing Risk and Liberty in Psychiatric Units” published in February 2021 in Bioethics.
Abstract: The systems approach is a widely accepted method for addressing healthcare adverse events. However, when adverse events are behavioral in nature, such as self-injury or aggression, a systems approach can restrict patient autonomy. We propose guidelines for balancing safety and autonomy considerations when developing systems for behavioral adverse events: interventions that do not limit patient liberty, or that therapeutically address the root causes of behavioral adverse events, should be fully utilized. Clinicians should collaborate with patients when designing systems that may restrict patient liberty. And clinicians should be supported in managing the stress that accrues from working in hazardous environments.
The award will be presented at the 2022 APA Annual Meeting.