Welfare Checks for Suicide Risk Management: Risks and Benefits

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Welfare checks are frequently used in suicide prevention.
• There is a significant lack of medical literature providing guidance on welfare checks.
• Existing literature does not cover when to request, how to request, or how to document welfare checks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe welfare checks in clinical practice.
• To explore the potential risks and benefits of welfare checks.
• To address the need for clinical guidance on performing welfare checks.

Main Methods:

• Literature searches were conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar.
• The study reviewed existing practices and identified a lack of formal guidance.
• This article is the first in a two-part series on welfare checks.

Main Results:

• Searches yielded no applicable results regarding guidance for welfare checks.
• Incorrectly performed welfare checks can harm therapeutic relationships and patient rights.
• Properly executed welfare checks can be life-saving interventions.

Conclusions:

• There is an urgent need for evidence-based guidance for clinicians on welfare checks.
• Understanding the risks and benefits is crucial for effective implementation.
• This article aims to initiate a discussion for developing best practices.