Government Document
Suicide in inpatient settings: Are our hospitals safe enough?
Cullen, S.W. & Marcus, S.C.
In the recognition that prevention of inpatient suicide should be a critical priority for systems of care, in 2007 The Joint Commission added Requirement 15A to its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs). 1.
This requirement, now renumbered as NPSG.15.01.01,2 stipulates that general hospitals treating patients with a primary diagnosis or a primary complaint of an emotional or behavioral disorder and psychiatric hospitals identify patients at risk for suicide. The first element of performance states, “The risk assessment includes identification of specific patient factors and environmental features that may increase or decrease the risk for suicide.”