19.2 Suicide Risk Screening Implementation and Management of Positive Screens in Pediatric Medical Settings

Abstract

The goal of this presentation is to discuss suicide risk-screening research and implementation in the emergency department (ED), inpatient medical unit, and outpatient primary care setting. Particular attention will be paid to the role of mental health clinicians and how they can support/guide hospitals and primary care settings in the implementation process. In February 2016, The Joint Commission issued Sentinel Event Alert 56, recommending that all medical patients be screened for suicide risk by The Joint Commission (in 2016). Given that 80 percent of youth who die by suicide visit a healthcare provider within months prior to their death, this alert paved the way for hospitals to implement strategies to capture young patients at risk. Despite this national effort for identifying youth at risk for suicide in the medical setting, there are no evidence-based guidelines for screening and intervention programs. Non-mental health clinicians on the frontlines require valid, youth-specific and site-specific tools to accurately detect patients at risk for suicide. Even more challenging than screening is the management of the patient who screens positive for suicide risk in the medical setting.