Category: Federal Forum Posters
Purpose: Suicidality is often a consequence of unchecked mental illness. Veterans, especially, are at an increased risk for committing suicide, up to 2.3 times more likely compared to the general population. On average, 20.6 Veterans (including active-duty Service members), commit suicide every day. Being able to identify risk factors for suicide is an important step to addressing the alarming rate of suicide. The objective of this project is to identify risks and interventions in the period leading up to a patient’s suicide attempt/completion so that practice changes can be implemented that may reduce the rate of suicide attempts/completions in this population.
Methods: This will be a single-center, retrospective, cohort chart analysis. Subjects will be adult patients identified over a 24-month period from a running database that records patients who have been identified as acute high risk of suicide or completed suicide. Patients are flagged as high acute risk if they exhibit physical preparatory behavior (stockpiling pills for overdose, held gun to head, etc.) or attempt suicide. This project will assess precautions taken and individual risks upon identifying a high acute risk of suicide and completed suicide 3 months preceding, and interventions implemented 3 months following the flagged behavior. Data collection prior to flagged behavior include diagnosis, counseling and/or medications used (based on preexisting diagnosis), history of suicide attempts or related hospitalizations, protective and risk factors. Interventions noted after the flagged behavior include ER evaluation, hospitalization, new diagnoses, mental health consult, and initiation of psychotherapy and/or medication therapy. The primary outcome measure will be the presence/absence of risk factors and interventions by mental health services prior to flagged behavior. The secondary outcome measure will record interventions made following the flagged behavior. Summary statistics will be completed to identify patterns in risks and interventions that may provide information that can inform changes in processes.
Results: Not Applicable
Conclusion: Not Applicable
Cyril Manuel Collantes
– PGY1 Pharmacy Resident, NYU Winthrop University Hospital, Scotch Plains, NJ135 Views