292781
Best practices for the introduction and integration of suicide prevention in emergency departments: Enhancing readiness and capacity for action and change
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
: 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM
Davis Rehuher, B.A.
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Deborah Goebert, DrPH
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Jane Chung-Do, DrPH
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Kristina Bifulco, B.A.
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Stephanie Nishimura, PhD
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Susana Helm, PhD
,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Background/Purpose: In the State of Hawai‘i, suicide is the single leading cause of fatal injuries among Hawai‘i residents ages 15 to 74. Trauma centers and emergency departments (EDs) are often the first stop for individuals who are suicidal or attempt suicide, and thus are well-situated to offer prevention and intervention services to them and their families. The aim of the “Enhancing the Statewide Trauma Network” project is to develop community networks of healthcare providers and community members who share the same knowledge and language related to suicide prevention. Methods: “Communities that Care (CTC)” is one framework which helps to increase readiness and capacity for the implementation of evidence-based interventions. An adapted version of the CTC framework was applied to EDs enrolled in the project (10 current, 13 forthcoming). Assets and gaps were noted, and individualized implementation plans were established for each site. Results: The most important elements to establish readiness were leadership support, multiple champions at the site, prioritization of suicide prevention as an issue, and connections with resources and collaborators outside of the ED. Just as in communities, establishing and maintaining these elements has been challenging and time-consuming. Discussion/Conclusions: Just as in communities, the issues of readiness and capacity building need to be addressed in healthcare settings when starting any intervention. This study demonstrates an innovative application of a readiness framework in conjunction with an evidence-based suicide prevention program. While conducting this process with EDs can be challenging, systematic and coordinated efforts can result in more sustainable organizational changes.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health
Learning Objectives:
Describe the overall landscape of suicide prevention, with emphasis on efforts in the State of Hawai‘i.
Describe one evidence-based approach to establishing readiness and capacity for suicide prevention in emergency departments.
Explain the importance of establishing readiness and capacity in emergency departments, and compare and contrast processes and challenges with similar efforts in the community setting.
Keywords: Suicide, Emergency Department/Room
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract Author on the content I am responsible for because I have managed and coordinated suicide prevention trainings and protocol assessments in emergency departments.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.