key: cord-0935048-5e7gdny2 authors: Tuna, Ozgecan; Enez Darcin, Asli; Tarakcioglu, Mahmut Cem; Aksoy, Umut Mert title: COVID‐19 Positive Psychiatry Inpatient Unit: A unique experience date: 2020-08-18 journal: Asia Pac Psychiatry DOI: 10.1111/appy.12410 sha: 708914b0a803245c7f1c3799173499afb92d5868 doc_id: 935048 cord_uid: 5e7gdny2 nan although the risk of infection was higher for them. No later than a month, a need arose for a unique unit for patients who required hospitalization because of a mental disorder and also tested positive for COVID-19, according to computed tomography and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. We have structured an inpatient unit for patients with the comorbidity of COVID-19 and severe mental illness, in a very short time. The following actions were taken accordingly: • Telephone networks and cables in patient rooms were removed due to the possible risks of strangulation they posed, for patients with mental illness. Cameras were constructed in patient rooms for observation of patients, by doctors and nurses. • We used all necessary, personal, protective equipment, since most of the patients with severe mental illness were likely not to use self-protective equipment themselves. • For cases possible and necessary, we offered hospitalization with a companion. Written informed consent was obtained from both the patient and their companion (with regard to camera surveillance and risk of contamination). • Smoking was prohibited in the COVID-19 Positive Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. Nicotine cravings of the patients were relieved by nicotine replacement treatments like the nicotine transdermal patch. • Daily visits and medical treatments for COVID-19 patients were conducted after daily consultations with the Department of Infectious Diseases. All vital signs and electrocardiogram of the patients were recorded regularly, in terms of drug interactions (Roden, Harrington, Poppas, & Russo, 2020) . • Considering that all interventions for patients with mental illness take longer than patients without such illness, healthcare workers were allowed to stay alternately and no longer than 15 minutes in the patient rooms. Despite undertaking all precautionary measures, a few psychiatrists and nurses in the unit COVID-19 diary from a Psychiatry Department in Italy Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in populations with serious mental illness Preparing for the outbreak Considerations for drug interactions on QTc in exploratory COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) treatment. Circulation The COVID-19 outbreak and psychiatric hospitals in China: Managing challenges through mental health service reform The manuscript has not been published, accepted, or submitted elsewhere. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5807-1536Asli Enez Darcin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5831-3040Mahmut Cem Tarakcioglu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0159-1864Umut Mert Aksoy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2093-0769