Good morning Class and Professor,

When reviewing a patient’s history and assessment a finding that may indicate a need for further assessment of suicidal ideation is the admissions question specifically asked to see if there is risk. The tool used at the hospital I am employed appears to be the “Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)” (DeVesty, 2017), noted as Suicide Risk. The questions listed are direct, so it is best to explain the purpose of them. For example, there is a prompt to ask the patient if she or he has a history of suicidal behaviors, or if he or she has had thoughts of harming oneself within the last week. “Clients who are suicidal may share past attempts of suicide, share a plan for suicide, verbalize worthlessness about self, and joke about death frequently” (Weber & Kelley, 2018). If the patient had a history of suicidal ideation, this will be indicated on the chart in the past medical history along with the date. At the end of this assessment, risk level will indicate the level of intervention that needs to be implemented such as a psych evaluation or possibly 1:1 safety attendant.

“Suicide is between the 8th and 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Persons at highest risk are those aged 45 years and older” (Weber & Kelley, 2018). Many resources are geared towards that age group and are a phone call away. One well known resource is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK (8255) that can be reached 24/7 for those who need someone to communicate with immediately. Another website that provides a list of local services is preventsuicidepa.org. There is another crisis hotline, a task-force, support groups, and conferences to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and overall hopefully prevent suicide. I am aware of community resources and participate in fundraising events, therefore my observation is that there are sufficient community resources available. I was really hoping the 24/7 hotline was still available and upon a quick search I found it is

-Allyson

References:

DeVesty, G. B. M. (2017). Suicide Risk Assessment: Performing. CINAHL Nursing Guide. Retrieved from https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?u…

Weber, J.R. & Kelley, J.H. (2018). Health assessment in nursing (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

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