Suicide screening for all is not needed

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JKL33

6,777 Posts

Exactly how do you know for sure that the chief complaint isn't related to depression/SI? Sure, not everyone is going to say they are depressed or suicidal. I assume that you've heard of patients developing somatic symptoms such as intractable abdominal pain or migraines with no cause, and that these symptoms are sometimes associated with depression, albeit not always with suicidal ideation. Apart from patients that are ones and twos on the triage scale, a few seconds for the two whole questions addressing depression and SI in our ED triage system isn't too much to ask.

You're right.

That being the case, it says absolutely nothing about effectiveness.

Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.
You're right.

That being the case, it says absolutely nothing about effectiveness.

And sometimes it isn't effective; I won't argue that point. But I would rather ask and chart that patient denied, as opposed to patient came in and hung self with bed sheet or jumped out window sometime during admission, ER triage nurse never asked about depression/SI, and therefore floor nurse and physicians were never made aware. I know it can get repetitive, trust. But it's as much a game of CYA as it is make administration happy.

JKL33

6,777 Posts

But it's as much a game of CYA as it is make administration happy.

True.

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