Implementing Suicide Risk Screening in a Pediatric Primary Care Setting: From Research to Practice

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Mental health screening
• Suicide prevention

Background:

• Suicide is a significant concern in pediatric populations.
• Primary care settings offer a unique opportunity for early identification of suicide risk.
• Standardized screening protocols are needed for consistent implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the development and feasibility of integrating suicide risk screening into pediatric primary care.
• To assess the real-world implementation of a suicide risk screening quality improvement project (QIP).

Main Methods:

• A QIP was conducted in a suburban pediatric practice (ages 12-25) with NIMH collaboration.
• A pilot phase familiarized staff with screening procedures.
• 271 pediatric outpatients were screened; patient, parent, and staff feedback was collected.

Main Results:

• 11.4% of patients screened positive for suicide risk; 0.4% reported imminent risk.
• Over 50% of positive screens indicated a history of suicide attempts.
• Patients, parents, and staff found the screening procedures acceptable and supportive of integration into standard care.

Conclusions:

• Suicide risk screening is feasible and acceptable in pediatric primary care.
• A developed clinical pathway can guide healthcare providers in efficiently detecting and managing at-risk pediatric patients.