Study Description and Background

The purpose of this study is to further develop and adapt the VISN 19 MIRECC SDVCS and Clinical Tool to enhance feasibility for implementation in diverse VA treatment settings, and to assess its impact on healthcare system processes pertaining to the assessment and management of suicide risk.

Suicide and suicide attempts are significant issues for military, Veterans Affairs, and civilian healthcare systems. The lack of uniform terms related to self-directed violence (SDV) has:

• inhibited epidemiological surveillance efforts,
• limited the generalizability of empirical studies of suicide and non-lethal forms of SDV, and
• complicated the implementation of evidence-based assessment and treatment strategies for individuals with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors.

Mental Health Leadership and Professionals were invited to complete a formalized training, pre– and post-training testing, focus groups, and quality improvement surveys.

The psychometric tool was developed by a literature review, item development, expert panel focus group, and pilot testing of the measure by MIRECC clinicians and Veteran participants.

The study brochure can be downloaded here