Implementation of Structured Suicide Risk Screening in a State Physician Health Monitoring Program.

Area of Science:

• Medical monitoring
• Physician health
• Suicide risk assessment

Background:

• Physician health programs (PHPs) play a crucial role in supporting physician well-being.
• Implementing structured suicide risk screening is vital for identifying and managing at-risk physicians.
• This study evaluates the effectiveness of suicide risk screening within a state PHP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the implementation and outcomes of structured suicide risk screening in a large state physician health program (PHP).
• To assess changes in physician suicide risk over time during PHP monitoring.
• To identify factors associated with suicide risk at intake.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 363 physicians underwent suicide risk screening using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) at multiple time points.
• Screening occurred at intake, 2 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and after sentinel events.
• Physician characteristics and PHP interventions were recorded.

Main Results:

• Female physicians reported higher suicide risk at intake compared to males.
• Physicians monitored for substance use disorders (SUD) showed lower lifetime suicide risk.
• Suicide risk significantly decreased over the monitoring period, with 100% reporting very low risk by year 3.
• No suicides occurred among monitored physicians.

Conclusions:

• Physician health programs effectively mitigate suicide risk through structured screening and monitoring.
• The observed reduction in suicide risk suggests the positive impact of PHP support and recovery processes.
• Continuous assessment and intervention are key to managing physician mental health and preventing suicide.