New suicide risk assessment tool to be used in hospitals
February 07, 2014
A suicide risk assessment tool for use with young patients will soon be tested at health care facilities in Ottawa, in an attempt to improve emergency department care. “It’s pretty clear there’s no standard of practice or tool to help guide the assessment or disposition of mental health concerns within the emergency departments,” said Mario Cappelli, a clinical psychologist who helped create the tool and who serves as the Director of Mental Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Hospitals are having trouble meeting the needs of the growing number of young people visiting emergency rooms with mental health issues. The standardized on-line assessment tool is a survey that asks about a patient’s behavior, feelings, and background.