Question
What is universal screening?
Answer
Universal screening for suicide is a Joint Commission requirement that indicates that healthcare organizations should conduct a suicide screening on all patients. Universal screening suggest that healthcare workers should be screening every patient for suicidal ideation, regardless of whether they have a psychiatric history.
In primary care we conduct universal screenings for suicide, particularly, if it is a new patient or a returning patient that has maybe did not get a screening the first time.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Suicide in Primary Care: Screening, Assessment, and Intervention, presented by Lauren Dennelly, MSW, LCSW
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