Safety Plan

Full Definition

A safety plan is a structured, individualised document created jointly by a clinician and a patient who is at risk of self-harm or suicide. It sequentially lists the patient's idiosyncratic warning signs, internal coping strategies, social contacts and settings that provide distraction, people the patient can ask for help, mental health professionals or agencies to contact in a crisis, and means-restriction steps. In psychiatric hospital documentation, editors must distinguish it from a general discharge plan or a behavioral contract; it is an active crisis-management tool, not a punitive agreement. The term is typically rendered as two words ('safety plan') and should not be hyphenated as a compound modifier when used as a noun phrase. Regulatory bodies such as The Joint Commission and the Zero Suicide framework cite safety planning as a core clinical intervention.

Usage

Usage note: Always render as two words in running text ('safety plan'). Do not hyphenate ('safety-plan') even when used attributively (e.g., 'safety plan components'). Do not conflate with 'crisis plan,' which may refer to an advance directive, or with 'behavioral contract,' which carries a disciplinary connotation. When editing clinical records, confirm the document is explicitly labeled as a safety plan and signed or acknowledged by the patient.

In Context

• "The attending psychiatrist noted in the progress note that the patient's safety plan had been reviewed and updated to include two additional support contacts prior to the planned step-down to partial hospitalisation." — Inpatient progress note
• "Editors reviewing discharge summaries should verify that 'safety plan' is rendered as two words and that a copy is documented as having been provided to the patient and their outpatient provider." — Editorial style guide for psychiatric hospital documentation