Suicide Risk Screening in the Hospital Setting: A Review of Brief Validated Tools

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Healthcare Management
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Suicide is a significant global and national public health issue.
• Accreditation bodies like The Joint Commission (TJC) emphasize suicide risk screening in healthcare.
• Healthcare providers must select from various validated screening tools with differing characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize brief suicide risk-screening tools.
• To discuss the advantages of universal screening in general hospitals.
• To identify limitations of these tools in general hospital settings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of brief suicide risk-screening tools.
• Analysis of tool properties, including ease of use and target population.
• Evaluation of supporting data quality.

Main Results:

• Multiple validated suicide risk-screening tools exist.
• These tools vary in usability, age applicability, and evidence base.
• Universal screening offers benefits but also presents significant challenges in general hospitals.

Conclusions:

• Brief suicide risk-screening tools are available for healthcare settings.
• Careful consideration of tool properties and implementation context is necessary.
• Balancing benefits and limitations is key for effective suicide risk screening in general hospitals.