VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for assessment and management of patients at risk for suicide

The Clinical Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk was developed under the auspices of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). VHA and DoD define clinical practice guidelines as: “Recommendations for the performance or exclusion of specific procedures or services derived through a rigorous methodological approach that includes: Determination of appropriate criteria such as effectiveness, efficacy, population benefit, or patient satisfaction; and Literature review to determine the strength of the evidence in relation to these criteria.”

The intent of the guidelines is to:
• Reduce current unwarranted practice variation and provide facilities with a structured framework to help improve patient outcomes (prevent suicide and other forms of suicidal self-directed violent behavior)
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to assist providers and their patients in the decision-making process
• Identify outcome measures to support the development of practice-based evidence that can ultimately be used to improve clinical guidelines.