Archives of General Psychiatry
Bradley V. Watts, MD, MPH; Yinong Young-Xu, ScD, MA, MS; Peter D. Mills, PhD, MS; Joseph M. DeRosier, PE, CSP; Jan Kemp, RN, PhD; Brian Shiner, MD, MPH; William E. Duncan, MD, PhD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012;69(6):588-592. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1514
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the effect of identification and abatement of hazards on inpatient suicides in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Design, Setting, and Patients The effect of implementation of a checklist (the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist) and abatement process designed to remove suicide hazards from inpatient mental health units in all VHA hospitals was examined by measuring change in the rate of suicides before and after the intervention.
Intervention Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist.
Results Implementation of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist was associated with a reduction in the rate of completed inpatient suicide in VHA hospitals nationally.
Conclusions Use of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist was associated with a substantial reduction in the inpatient suicide rate occurring on VHA mental health units. Use of the checklist in non-VHA hospitals may be warranted.
The entire article is free here.
Thanks to Ken Pope for this information.
An article about psychologists using checklists to reduce treatment failure is here.
