The safe treatment of the suicidal patient in an adult inpatient setting: a proactive preventive approach.

This paper focuses on the work of an inpatient service in an acute care safety net hospital in the prevention of suicide on its inpatient service and during the high-risk period post discharge. The strategy utilized a comprehensive proactive systems approach to the suicidal patient including: a formalized suicide assessment jointly done by medical and nursing staff, accurate diagnosis and best practice treatment, a flexible nursing observation policy, groups on inpatient units focused on suicide and key risk factors and triggers, and a communication tool to the next level of care that describes the strategies learned by the patient to deal with his or her suicidality. Incidents of self-injurious behaviors and special observation hours were monitored.