Jcaho

Screening for Mental Health has developed a resource guide for implementing the new JCAHO 2007 patient safety goal on suicide. Download the resource guide . This resource features the Suicide Assessment Five-step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T) developed by Douglas Jacobs, MD, President and CEO of SMH, in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). 

2007 Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal On Suicide
As of January 1, 2007, all Joint Commission accredited health care organizations will be surveyed for implementation of applicable 2007 goals that now include Goal 15A, “identify patients at risk for suicide.” The guidelines apply only to behavioral health care, psychiatric hospitals and patients being treated for emotional or behavioral disorders in general hospitals.

JCAHO provides the following as the rationale for the requirement Suicide ranks as the eleventh most frequent cause of death (third most frequent in young people) in the United States, with one person dying from suicide every 16.6 minutes. Suicide of a care recipient while in a staffed, round-the-clock care setting has been the #1 most frequently reported type of sentinel event since the inception of the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Policy in 1996. Identification of individuals at risk for suicide while under the care of or following discharge from a health care organization is an important first step in protecting and planning the care of these at-risk individuals.

Implementation Expectations for Requirement 15A are:
(M) C 1. The risk assessment includes identification of specific factors and features that may increase or decrease risk for suicide
(M) C 2. The patient’s immediate safety needs and most appropriate setting for treatment are addressed
(M) C 3. The organization provides information such as a crisis hotline to individuals and their family members for crisis situations

Learn more about the JCAHO Patient Safety Goal on Suicide

Additional Resources

Download the American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Behaviors
(1.46mb )

Order a CD of the suicide risk assessment teleconference training sponsored by the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems.

Each year in America almost 30,000 people die by suicide, and 70% of those people tell someone or give warning signs before taking their own life.  Use the Suicide Risk Questionaire as a resource for JCAHO Implementation Expectation MC3, “providing information… to individuals and their family members for crisis situations”

Learn how you can STOP A SUICIDE TODAY!