An Intervention Begun in the Emergency Department to Lower Later Suicidality

In a U.K. study, 40% of patients who died by suicide were seen in an emergency department (ED) in the preceding year. In the U.S., the Joint Commission has recommended that EDs screen patients for suicidality. To examine whether screening or an intervention can help the large numbers of suicidal people seen in EDs, researchers enrolled 1376 patients in 8 EDs in a comparison of treatment as usual (TAU), formal screening of all patients for suicidal behavior and thoughts, and a combination of screening and a preventive intervention. These were provided individually in sequential phases, each lasting 16 months, across the EDs.

The preventive approach included development of a safety plan involving significant others and brief structured telepho…