The patient safety screener: validation of a brief suicide risk screener for emergency department settings

Arch Suicide Res. 2015;19(2):151-60. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2015.1034604.

Abstract

This study evaluated the concurrent validity of a brief suicide risk screener for adults in the emergency department (ED). Two versions of the verbally administered Patient Safety Screener (2-item, 3-item) were compared to a reference standard, the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI). Analyses included measures of agreement (Kappa). Agreement between the Patient Safety Screener-2 and -3 and the BSSI (n = 951) was almost perfect for overall positive screening (K = 0.94-0.95) and past suicide attempts (K = 0.97-0.98). Agreement on ideation ranged from fair (K = 0.34) for the 2-item version to good (K = 0.61) for the 3-item version. The Patient Safety Screener's concurrent validity with the BSSI ranged from fair to almost perfect and warrants additional study.

Keywords: emergency medicine; emergency psychiatry; suicide screening and assessment.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Emergency Medical Services* / methods
  • Emergency Medical Services* / standards
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / methods*
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Safety / standards
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / standards
  • Psychometrics / methods
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Risk Assessment* / methods
  • Risk Assessment* / standards
  • Suicidal Ideation*
  • Suicide Prevention*
  • Suicide, Attempted / psychology