Collateral Information
Clinical data gathered from third-party sources — such as family members, law enforcement, or prior medical records — to supplement a patient's self-report during a psychiatric emergency evaluation.
Full Definition
Collateral information refers to any clinically relevant data obtained from sources other than the presenting patient, including relatives, caregivers, first responders, outpatient providers, and medical records. In emergency psychiatry, collateral information is essential when a patient is unable or unwilling to provide an accurate history due to psychosis, intoxication, or altered consciousness. Documentation conventions require that the source of collateral information be explicitly identified and that the clinician note whether the patient consented to its disclosure. Editors must ensure that collateral sources are named with sufficient specificity (e.g., 'patient's mother' rather than 'family') and that information attributed to collateral sources is clearly distinguished from the patient's own reported history. The term should not be abbreviated or replaced with informal variants such as 'collateral' alone when document formality requires the full phrase.
Usage
Usage note: In formal clinical documents, always identify the specific collateral source. The standalone noun 'collateral' is acceptable in clinical shorthand but should be expanded in formal reports and publications.
In Context
- "Collateral information obtained from the patient's case manager confirmed three prior inpatient admissions in the preceding year." — Psychiatric Emergency Evaluation Note
- "The draft report used 'collateral' as a standalone noun throughout; the editor expanded it to 'collateral information' per the journal's style requirements." — Manuscript Editing Note