Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide (NA2535)
Author(s): Department of Veterans Affairs - Department of Defense
Pre-Approved for: CA BRN, CCLCP, CDMS, CE Broker Provider, CLCP, CMCPS, COHN/COHN-S, CRCC, CVE, CVRP, Delaware BON, MSCC
Credit Hours: 20
Course Format
This course is online. All course material is available online and is accessible immediately after purchase from your account homepage. Certificate of Completion is available immediately upon passing the exam.
Course Overview
This course provides a comprehensive review of the 2024 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide. Developed to address the rising rates of suicide in both civilian and military populations, this guideline offers an evidence-based framework for healthcare professionals across all disciplines.
This course will detail the CPG's key updates, including its use of the GRADE methodology, and will guide providers through the recommended algorithms for risk identification, assessment, stratification, and management. Emphasis is placed on a patient-centered, whole-health approach that integrates routine screening, shared decision-making, and the management of co-occurring conditions.
Participants will review evidence-based non-pharmacologic, pharmacologic, and community-based interventions, as well as crucial strategies for post-acute care and lethal means safety. The goal is to equip providers with the knowledge and confidence to apply these best practices in any clinical setting to improve outcomes for patients at risk for suicide.
Course Objectives
- Describe the current epidemiology of suicide in the general population, as well as in U.S. military Service members and Veteran populations.
- Articulate the scope, purpose, and intended audience of the 2024 VA/DoD CPG for Suicide Risk.
- Explain the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) methodology and its role in determining the strength of clinical recommendations.
- Apply the CPG's three-module algorithm for the identification, comprehensive assessment, and management of patients at acute risk for suicide.
- Differentiate between low, intermediate, and high acute suicide risk by identifying their core features as defined in the guideline.
- Identify key risk factors (e.g., psychiatric, social, physical) and protective factors to be evaluated during a comprehensive suicide risk assessment.
- Evaluate the evidence and CPG recommendations for non-pharmacologic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Crisis Response Planning (CRP).
- Assess the CPG recommendations for pharmacologic and somatic treatments, including the use of clozapine, ketamine, lithium, and rTMS for specific patient populations.
- Incorporate routine care practices for suicide prevention, including Lethal Means Safety (LMS) counseling, Safety Planning Interventions (SPI), and post-acute care strategies like periodic caring communications.
- Recognize the importance of community-based interventions and a public health approach to suicide prevention.
- Identify key research priorities to advance the science of suicide prevention as outlined in the CPG.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Background
- Scope of This Guideline
- Highlighted Features of This Guideline
- Guideline Development Team
- Summary of Guideline Development Methodology
- Approach to Care in the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense
- Algorithm
- Routine Care for Suicide Prevention
- Limitations to Clinical Practice Guideline Review of Suicide Prevention Interventions and Strategies to Advance the State of the Science
- Recommendations
- Research Priorities