Frequency of lethal means assessment among emergency department patients with a positive suicide risk screen
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Authors
Betz, Marian E.Kautzman, Mack
Segal, Daniel L.
Miller, Ivan
Camargo, Carlos A. Jr
Boudreaux, Edwin D
Arias, Sarah A.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Emergency MedicineDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2017-11-14Keywords
Emergency departmentFirearms
Mental health evaluation
Safety planning
Suicide
Emergency Medicine
Mental and Social Health
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Show full item recordAbstract
Prior work from surveys and limited populations suggests many emergency department (ED) patients with suicide risk do not have documented lethal means assessments (e.g., being asked about home firearms). The specific objectives of this study were to, in an ED with universal screening for suicide risk: (1) estimate how often ED providers documented lethal means assessment for suicidal patients, and (2) compare patients with and without documented lethal means assessments. We reviewed 800 total charts from a random sample of adults in three a priori age groups (18-34 years; 35-59 years; > /= 60 years) with a positive suicide risk screen from 8/2014 to 12/2015. Only 18% (n = 145) had documentation by > /= 1 provider of assessment of lethal means access. Among these 145, only 8% (n = 11) had documentation that someone discussed an action plan to reduce access (most commonly changing home storage or moving objects out of the home). Among 545 suicidal patients discharged home from the ED, 85% had no documentation that any provider assessed access to lethal means. Our findings highlight an important area for improving care: routine, documented lethal means assessment and counseling for patients with suicide risk. There is an urgent need for further exploration of barriers and facilitators.Source
Psychiatry Res. 2017 Nov 14;260:30-35. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.038. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.038Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/28434PubMed ID
29169036Related Resources
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.038