title: Suicide risk categorisation of psychiatric inpatients: what it might mean and why it is of no use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Existing suicide risk assessment policies and guidelines do not specify whether the risk to be assessed is absolute, relative to other patients or relative to the same patient at an earlier time.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilised the results of a recent study of inpatient suicide to explore the implications of each of the above types of risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No interpretation of the current requirements for suicide risk categorisation of psychiatric inpatients can lead to information that might usefully guide clinical decision-making.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policies and guidelines requiring suicide risk categorisation of inpatients should be withdrawn. The College should delete the mandatory entrustable professional activity requiring risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, and with the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia mmbl@bigpond.com.
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Large
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Psychiatry and the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
keywords: inpatients; risk assessment; suicide