Improving risk assessment with suicidal patients: a preliminary evaluation of the clinical utility of the Scale for Impact of Suicidality--Management, Assessment and Planning of Care (SIS-MAP).
BACKGROUND
Although a number of suicide-risk assessment tools are available to clinicians, the high levels of suicide still evident in society suggest a clear need for new strategies in order to facilitate the prevention of suicidal behaviors.


OBJECTIVE
The present study examined the utilization of a new structured clinical interview called the Scale for Impact of Suicidality Management, Assessment, and Planning of Care (SIS-MAP).


METHODS
SIS-MAP ratings were obtained from a group of incoming psychiatric patients over a 6-month period at Regional Mental Health Care, St. Thomas, Canada.


RESULTS
A canonical discriminant function analysis resulted in a total 74.0% of original grouped cases correctly classified based on admission status (admitted or not; Wilks λ = .749, p < .001). The specificity of the scale was 78.1%, while the sensitivity of the scale was 66.7%. Additionally, mean total scores on the scale were used to establish clinical cutoffs to facilitate future level of care decisions.


CONCLUSIONS
Preliminary analysis suggests the SIS-MAP is a valid and reliable tool for determining the level of psychiatric care needed for adults with suicidal ideation.
University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. charles.nelson@sjhc.london.on.ca
Charles
C
Nelson
Megan
M
Johnston
Amresh
A
Shrivastava
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000458:organization & administration; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015588:Observer Variation; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011594:Psychometrics; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013405:Suicide / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014218:Triage; D000092864:Suicide Prevention