New guidelines for emergency departments (EDs) for recognizing and supporting people at risk of suicide have already increased rates of suicide screening and are expected to save lives.
In 2020, suicide screening in EDs was added as a requirement by Accreditation Canada, a national organization that assesses health-care services and programs.
Interior Health (IH) collaborated with the Canadian Mental Health Association BC and UBC Okanagan (UBCO) to do an in-depth study in the region’s EDs. Led by Dr. Lesley Lutes, along with a team of graduate students, and supported by IH Emergency Services Network regional education coordinator Amy Luff, the UBCO researchers evaluated suicide screening within IH EDs. This included reviewing charts and receiving feedback from both frontline providers and patients.
Findings indicated that suicide screening was being done in EDs less than 10 per cent of the time.
“I have been working in emergency nursing for more than 20 years,” says IH Emergency Services Network director Lisa Hobenshield. “Generally, we are comfortable in a trauma room or resuscitating patients. Having a therapeutic conversation about somebody’s mental health or their substance use is challenging in an emergency setting.
“Yet, the emergency department is where people come to get help,” she continues. “We look at this collaboration as an opportunity to try and change the culture, reduce stigma and help people where they are at.”
