TJC sentinel event warns of inpatient suicide
Hospitalist Leadership Connection, December 6, 2010
The Joint Commission last month issued a Sentinel Event Alert warning hospitals that patients who commit suicide in general hospital inpatient units may not have prior history of psychiatric episodes or suicide attempts. As a follow-up to a 1998 Sentinel Event Alert, the report provides updated information on statistics and how to prevent inpatient suicide.
The report focuses on medical and surgical units and the emergency department. Of the 827 self-reported inpatient suicides in the Sentinel Event Database, 14.25% occurred in nonbehavorial health units in general hospitals (e.g., medical/surgical units, ICU, oncology, telemetry); 8.02% were in the emergency department; and 2.4% were in other nonpsychiatric settings (e.g., home care, critical access hospitals, long-term care hospitals, physical rehabilitation hospitals).
The Alert falls in line with the National Patient Safety Goal 15.01.01, which requires that behavioral healthcare organizations, psychiatric hospitals, and general hospitals treating individuals for emotional or behavioral disorders to indentify individuals at risk for suicide.
The Joint Commission recommends that hospitals educate their staffs about suicide risk factors and warning signs, in addition to reviewing and risk reduction strategies at the facility.
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