The AMA Section Council on Psychiatry will be asking the AMA House of
Delegates at its meeting next June to address the growing use of tasers by
police, schools, and health care facilities and in particular on people with
mental illness.
The section council will be sponsoring a resolution asking the AMA to
collect data on the morbidity and mortality associated with the use of tasers
and urge the AMA to advocate for the development of appropriate guidelines to
ensure that tasers are used only in a manner that minimizes the risk of injury
or death.
The resolution will also urge the AMA to encourage the Joint Commission
(formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
and other appropriate accreditation and regulatory agencies to develop
standards and guidelines regarding the use of tasers in hospitals and other
health care facilities.
The section council will also submit resolutions on generic medications and
on lead levels in children.
A resolution on generic medications will ask the AMA to review and
summarize the literature regarding the incidence of adverse clinical
consequences attributable to the use of generic medications, review Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) mechanisms for the approval of generic medications
and evaluate the adequacy of current FDA regulations, and develop
recommendations to ensure patient safety in the use of generic
medications.
A resolution on lead levels will ask the AMA to generate evidenced-based
recommendations regarding screening for lead and to advocate for updated
policies, procedures, and standards with respect to lead screening
programs.
The Section Council on Psychiatry includes APA, the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American Academy of Psychiatry and
the Law. ▪