Validation of a secondary screener for suicide risk: results from the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE).
This article describes the implementation of the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE) Secondary Screener among adult patients at eight emergency departments (EDs) in seven states from August 2010 through November 2013. Of 1,376 patients endorsing active suicidal ideation or recent suicide attempt, most were positive for at least one indicator on the ED-SAFE screener. Based on score, the research team stratified patients at mild-, moderate-, or high-risk for suicide and these strata were associated with significantly different rates of suicidal behavior and attempts after 12 months of follow-up. The researchers recommend additional validation studies and removing elements with less predictive value to increase utility of this screening tool in the ED.