Suicide-specific Safety in the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

In total, 75% of suicides reported to the Joint Commission as sentinel events since 1995, have occurred in psychiatric settings. Ensuring patient safety is one of the primary tasks of inpatient psychiatric units. A review of inpatient suicide-specific safety components, inclusive of incidence and risk; guidelines for evidence-based care; environmental safety; suicide risk assessment; milieu observation and monitoring; psychotherapeutic interventions; and documentation is provided. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) has been recognized as an exemplar system in suicide prevention. A VA inpatient psychiatric unit is used to illustrate the operationalization of a culture of suicide-specific safety. We conclude by describing preliminary unit outcomes and acknowledging limitations of suicide-specific inpatient care and gaps in the current inpatient practices and research on psychotherapeutic interventions, observation, and monitoring.