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Primary Care Toolkit - 2) Educating Clinicians and Office Staff

Suicide Prevention Primer | Other Training Resources

Suicide Prevention Primer

The heart of the educational section of this toolkit is a primer presented in five modules:
Module 1 - Prevalence and Comorbidity
Module 2 - Epidemiology
Module 3 - Prevention Practices
Module 4 - Suicide Risk Assessment
Module 5 – Intervention

The first two modules of the primer are background material that may be of interest to the entire staff.  The third module provides an understanding of general prevention practices that should be implemented to maximally benefit the entire patient population.  Modules 4 and 5 are designed to educate clinicians for the specialized suicide prevention roles they will play.  Module 4 provides the information necessary to evaluate patients who may be at heightened risk for suicide and to make a clinical assessment of that risk.  Module 5 discusses interventions that may be necessary in the primary care setting for protect patients from intentionally harming themselves, up to and including making arrangements for involuntary hospitalization. A brief description of each instructional module follows.

Module 1 – Prevalence and Comorbidity
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/PrimerModule1.pdf
This one-page learning module summarizes the magnitude of the suicide problem in the U.S. and describes how the vast majority of those cases are associated with one or more mental health or substance abuse problems.

Module 2 – Epidemiology
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/PrimerModule2.pdf
This one-page learning module summarizes the epidemiology of suicide attempts and suicide deaths in various demographic groups.
 
Module 3 –Prevention Practices
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/PrimerModule3.pdf
This four-page learning module discusses general practices that can be incorporated into primary care settings to lower the risk of suicide across their entire patient population. This module should be read and discussed by the entire primary care staff.

Module 4 – Suicide Risk Assessment
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/PrimerModule4.pdf
This five-page learning module presents a methodology for gathering information about a patient’s suicidal thoughts and plans and an approach for assessing the level of suicidal intent.  It concludes with pointers for clinical decision making regarding the assessment of risk.

Module 5 – Intervention
URL: http://www.sprc.org/library/PrimerModule5.pdf
This five-page learning module discusses a range of patient management approaches that can be implemented in the primary care setting according to the level of risk. These include: 1) referral or co-management when a mental health assessment and treatment are available, 2) in-office treatment for depression and other psychiatric symptoms, 3) encouraging social support networks, 4) planning collaboratively with the patient for his or her future safety, and 5) documentation and follow-up care.
 
Click here to download the entire primer in one document.

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Other Training Resources

You may find that some members of your staff would like to receive more formal training in these principles and skills.  Information follows about training programs that are widely available in the United States; most have been reviewed and approved for listing in the Best Practices Registry of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
URL: http://www.livingworks.net/AS.php
A workshop designed for caregivers of individuals at risk of suicide. Training dates and locations are provided on the website. Also online are a text and audiovisual overview of the workshop, research and evaluations on the program, and suicide awareness facts.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
URL: http://www.qprinstitute.com/
A gatekeeper training program for suicide prevention based upon three basic steps. The website also includes literature, evidence for QPR, helpful links, and a QPR Gatekeeper Trainer Certification Course to certify individuals to become QPR instructors.

Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk in Primary Care
URL: http://www.suicidology.org
A training developed by the American Association of Suicidology in collaboration with primary care practitioners specifically for primary care physicians and staff.

SafeTALK
URL: http://www.sprc.org/featured_resources/bpr/PDF/LivingworkssafeTALK_factsheet.pdf
SafeTALK is a half-day training program that teaches participants to recognize and engage persons who might be having thoughts of suicide and to connect them with community resources trained in suicide intervention. SafeTALK stresses safety while challenging taboos that inhibit open talk about suicide. The SafeTALK fact sheet is at The Living Works web site [http://www.livingworks.net].

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Order a Toolkit Now: Hard copies of the toolkit are available for $25.00 through WICHE Mental Health Program. For more information, please contact Tamara DeHay at tdehay@wiche.edu (preferred option) or 303-541-0254.