Improving Management of Suicidality Within an Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment Program Through Standardization of a Suicide Rating Scale Among Clinical Staff Members: An Evidenced-Based Practice Project

Standardization of suicide assessment protocols is essential for maintaining standards of care and optimizing patient safety. However, many healthcare organizations lack a universal protocol for suicide assessment, likely due to the absence of a gold-standard method or tool. This evidence- based practice project aims to enhance the accuracy and consistency of suicide assessments for individuals diagnosed with eating disorders as well as other mental health disorders, ultimately improving patient safety measures and outcomes within an eating disorder treatment center. This project includes a thorough literature review of suicide risk factors, assessment methods, and available tools, followed by the education and implementation of a standardized suicide assessment protocol among clinical staff. Pre- and post-intervention data was collected using a quasi-experimental design. The study’s findings will contribute to the existing body of research on standardized suicide assessment tools and provide future research directions.