EC risk assessment important part of suicide prevention

Patient suicides remain one of the top sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission, so safety officers should consider how EC issues might contribute to suicide risks. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could also have a say in your suicide prevention efforts should its inspectors visit your hospital.

EC will likely be a focus in 2010 for surveyors when it comes to patient suicide risks, said Sharon Chaput, RN, C, CSHA, director of regulatory and quality management at the Brattleboro (VT) Retreat.