Current suicide prevention practices at hospitals are missing opportunities to provide essential care, according to a report from Pew Charitable Trusts.
The report, published July 14, suggests actions health system leaders, insurers and policymakers can take to ensure hospitals provide quality suicide prevention.
Here are five things to know:
- A 2022 survey found just 8% of hospitals implemented all four of the discharge protocols recommended by the Joint Commission for patients at risk of suicide. Around 25% of hospitals used none of this protocol.
- The Joint Commission requires hospitals to have in place discharge policies and protocols for patients at risk of suicide, but it does not specify what these policies must be.
- Expanded provider education and training could help providers understand what they should do to identify a patient at risk of suicide, and develop a proper follow-up care plan.
- Improved reimbursement for safety planning and follow-up care could encourage more facilities to implement these services.
- State and federal action on workforce shortages could improve suicide prevention efforts, according to Pew Charitable Trusts. Improved staffing and integration of mental and primary health services have been shown to improve patient care, according to the report.
Read the full report here.
