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Electronic protocol for suicide risk management in research participants
Bea Herbeck Belnap1, Herbert C Schulberg2, Fanyin He3
1Division of General Internal Medicine, Center for Research on Health Care, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|January 17, 2015
Summary
This study introduces a digital suicide risk management protocol (SRMP) that effectively guides research staff in assessing and triaging patients at risk for self-harm, ensuring safety without adverse events.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Psychology
- Health Informatics
- Cardiovascular Surgery
Background:
- Post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) patients face risks, including suicidal ideation.
- Standardized protocols are needed to manage suicide risk in research settings.
- Electronic, telephone-delivered interventions can improve patient monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe an electronic, telephone-delivered suicide risk management protocol (SRMP).
- To guide research staff in safely triaging study participants at risk for self-harm.
- To assess the feasibility and safety of the SRMP in a clinical trial.
Main Methods:
- The SRMP was implemented in a randomized clinical trial involving 302 CABG patients.
- Participants were screened for depression and assessed via telephone over 8 months.
- The SRMP assigned risk levels (none to imminent) with corresponding action items for staff.
Main Results:
- Suicidal ideation was reported by 25% of participants across 13% of assessments.
- The SRMP was initiated in 10% of assessments, with 1% classified as moderate/high risk.
- No suicide-related hospitalizations, ER visits, or deaths occurred during the study.
Conclusions:
- The SRMP effectively guided research staff in standardized suicide risk assessment and triage.
- The protocol facilitated safe management of participants at risk for self-harm.
- The electronic, telephone-delivered SRMP proved successful in a post-CABG patient population.