Brief Intervention and Follow-Up for Suicidal Patients With Repeat Emergency Department Visits Enhances Treatment Engagement

Am J Public Health. 2015 Aug;105(8):1570-2. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302656. Epub 2015 Jun 11.

Abstract

We implemented an innovative, brief, easy-to-administer 2-part intervention to enhance coping and treatment engagement. The intervention consisted of safety planning and structured telephone follow-up postdischarge with 95 veterans who had 2 or more emergency department (ED) visits within 6 months for suicide-related concerns (i.e., suicide ideation or behavior). The intervention significantly increased behavioral health treatment attendance 3 months after intervention, compared with treatment attendance in the 3 months after a previous ED visit without intervention. The trend was for a decreasing hospitalization rate.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Emergency Service, Hospital* / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Hospitals, Veterans
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychotherapy, Brief / methods*
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Suicide / psychology
  • Suicide Prevention*
  • Suicide, Attempted / prevention & control
  • Suicide, Attempted / psychology
  • United States
  • Veterans / psychology