Development and Implementation of a Suicide Prevention Checklist to Create a Safe Environment

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety in general hospitals
• Suicide prevention strategies

Background:

• General hospitals admit increasing numbers of patients with suicide attempt injuries.
• Clinical staff may lack expertise in managing suicidal patients.
• Joint Commission recommendations emphasize care for suicidal patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a suicide checklist for nonpsychiatric units.
• To facilitate a safe environment for potentially suicidal inpatients.
• To align with Joint Commission guidelines for suicide care.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of the Care of the Suicide and Self-Injury Patient Checklist.
• Analysis of incident reports over a 4-year period.
• Survey of nurses' feedback using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap).

Main Results:

• 47 patient self-injury incidents reported over 4 years; only 3 resulted in serious harm.
• 88% of nurses believed the checklist facilitated a safe environment.
• 90% of nurses found the checklist supported consistent practice.

Conclusions:

• The checklist contributed to a safer environment for suicidal patients on nonpsychiatric units.
• The checklist guided clinicians in managing potentially self-injurious individuals.
• Implementation of the checklist improved care for suicidal patients in general hospitals.