Successful Suicide Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Youth, Parent, Researcher, and Clinician Perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to include youth, parents, researchers, and clinicians in the identification of feasible and acceptable strategies for teen suicide screening in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Concept mapping methodology was used to elicit stakeholder responses. Regarding the most important result of suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, suicide prevention and education for parents, friends, and community members was rated easiest to implement, while short- and long-term follow-up and treatment was rated most important. In terms of successful suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, provision of resources and information was rated most feasible, and a safe, friendly, private screening environment was rated most important. The concept maps can be used to align suicide risk screening with the priorities and recommendations of pediatric ED stakeholders.

Keywords:

• cluster analysis
• concept mapping
• multidimensional scaling
• pediatric emergency department
• suicide screening
• youth suicide prevention

Disclosure Statement

Cheryl King receives royalties from Guilford Press for Teen Suicide Risk: A Practitioner Guide to Screening, Assessment and Care Management (2013).

David Brent has received funding personally from UpToDate, Healthwise, and the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation for consulting. He receives royalties from eRT Inc. and Guilford Press.

All other authors report no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 The emergency department (ED) is synonymous with emergency room, emergency ward, or casualty department and describes a medical treatment facility, usually hospital based, specializing in accident services and delivery of emergency medical care.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Institute for Mental Health, Award 1U01MH104311-01.

Notes on contributors

Lisa M. Vaughn

Lisa M. Vaughn, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Cijy Elizabeth Sunny

Cijy Elizabeth Sunny, Educational Studies, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Robin Lindquist-Grantz

Robin Lindquist-Grantz, Institute for Policy Research, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Cheryl King

Cheryl King, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

David Brent

David Brent, Department of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Stephanie Boyd

Stephanie Boyd, Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan

Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA.