*TS: 5 Sure-Fire Methods: Complying with NPSG.15.01.01[®] [REF: BHC, MD, SW] The Source, December 2013, Vol 12, #6, Pg 2  JCs1312_B2

Although not in the top 10 for hospitals, NPSG.15.01.01 is #5 in the top 10 of problematic standards for BHC organizations. Unfortunately, suicide persists as one of the most frequently reported sentinel events (#7 in 2013). This article provides recommendations for improving compliance that primarily focus on the assessment process. Apparently, for BHC, citations are often related to not doing suicide risk assessment, doing them inconsistently and/or not using a very good risk assessment tool/approach. Our experience with hospitals is that they generally include a suicide risk assessment at admission but may fall down in the areas of re-assessing that risk and providing useful resources for the patient and/or family at the time of discharge (EP3). Evaluate your suicide/self-harm risk assessment process for opportunities to improve.
Tip: Although providing a local hotline number can minimally meet the letter of NPSG 15.01.01 requirements, consider enhancing compliance and meeting more of the spirit of the standard, by developing/providing a special EP3 Discharge Support Packet with additional suicide prevention resources and identify triggering risk factors/circumstances for offering it at discharge.