Ask HRC: Assessment and Prevention Strategies Reduce Suicide Risk

​A Healthcare Risk Control (HRC) member recently asked for guidance on managing mental health in the acute care setting. In particular, the member was interested in guidance related to suicide prevention.

In our response, HRC notes that most research indicates that determining when a patient is in acute suicidal crisis is difficult, partly because many patients will "fake good." However, difficulty does not excuse an organization from attempting to assess for short-term suicide risk. Joint Commission recommends the following general steps to review each...