OBJECTIVE: Screening children for suicide risk when they present to the emergency department (ED) with nonpsychiatric complaints could lead to better identification and treatment of high-risk youth. Before suicide screening protocols can be implemented for nonpsychiatric patients in pediatric EDs, it is essential to determine whether such efforts are feasible. METHODS: As part of an instrument validation study, ED patients (10-21 years old) with both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric presenting complaints were recruited to take part in suicide screening. Clinically significant suicidal thoughts, as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and suicidal behaviors were assessed, as well as patient opinions about suicide screening. Recruitment rates for the study as well as impact on length of stay were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 266 patients and parents approached for the study, 159 (60%) agreed to participate. For patients entering the ED for nonpsychiatric reasons (n = 106), 5.7% (n = 6) reported previous suicidal behavior, and 5.7% (n = 6) reported clinically significant suicidal ideation. There were no significant differences for mean length of stay in the ED for nonpsychiatric patients with positive triggers and those who screened negative (means, 382 [SD, 198] and 393 [SD, 166] minutes, respectively; P = 0.80). Ninety-six percent of participants agreed that suicide screening should occur in the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide screening of nonpsychiatric patients in the ED is feasible in terms of acceptability to parents, prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, practicality to ED flow, and patient opinion. Future endeavors should address brief screening tools validated on nonpsychiatric populations.
OBJECTIVE: Screening children for suicide risk when they present to the emergency department (ED) with nonpsychiatric complaints could lead to better identification and treatment of high-risk youth. Before suicide screening protocols can be implemented for nonpsychiatric patients in pediatric EDs, it is essential to determine whether such efforts are feasible. METHODS: As part of an instrument validation study, ED patients (10-21 years old) with both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric presenting complaints were recruited to take part in suicide screening. Clinically significant suicidal thoughts, as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and suicidal behaviors were assessed, as well as patient opinions about suicide screening. Recruitment rates for the study as well as impact on length of stay were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 266 patients and parents approached for the study, 159 (60%) agreed to participate. For patients entering the ED for nonpsychiatric reasons (n = 106), 5.7% (n = 6) reported previous suicidal behavior, and 5.7% (n = 6) reported clinically significant suicidal ideation. There were no significant differences for mean length of stay in the ED for nonpsychiatric patients with positive triggers and those who screened negative (means, 382 [SD, 198] and 393 [SD, 166] minutes, respectively; P = 0.80). Ninety-six percent of participants agreed that suicide screening should occur in the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide screening of nonpsychiatric patients in the ED is feasible in terms of acceptability to parents, prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, practicality to ED flow, and patient opinion. Future endeavors should address brief screening tools validated on nonpsychiatric populations.
Authors: Lisa M Vaughn; Cijy Elizabeth Sunny; Robin Lindquist-Grantz; Cheryl King; David Brent; Stephanie Boyd; Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan Journal: Arch Suicide Res Date: 2019-01-23
Authors: Lisa M Horowitz; Jeffrey A Bridge; Stephen J Teach; Elizabeth Ballard; Jennifer Klima; Donald L Rosenstein; Elizabeth A Wharff; Katherine Ginnis; Elizabeth Cannon; Paramjit Joshi; Maryland Pao Journal: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med Date: 2012-12
Authors: Lisa M Horowitz; Elizabeth A Wharff; Annabelle M Mournet; Abigail M Ross; Sandra McBee-Strayer; Jian-Ping He; Elizabeth C Lanzillo; Erina White; Emory Bergdoll; Daniel S Powell; Martine Solages; Kathleen R Merikangas; Maryland Pao; Jeffrey A Bridge Journal: Hosp Pediatr Date: 2020-09
Authors: Lawrence S Wissow; Jonathan Brown; Kate E Fothergill; Anne Gadomski; Karen Hacker; Peter Salmon; Rachel Zelkowitz Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2013-08-30 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: Elizabeth D Ballard; Abigail Bosk; Deborah Snyder; Maryland Pao; Jeffrey A Bridge; Elizabeth A Wharff; Stephen J Teach; Lisa Horowitz Journal: Pediatr Emerg Care Date: 2012-01 Impact factor: 1.454
Authors: Christine L M Joseph; Mei Lu; Stephanie Stokes-Bruzzelli; Dayna A Johnson; Elizabeth Duffy; Michele Demers; Talan Zhang; Dennis R Ownby; Edward Zoratti; Prashant Mahajan Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol Date: 2015-11-17 Impact factor: 6.347