title: Suicide risk management during clinical telepractice.
abstract: The effective assessment and management of suicidal patients is an essential component of telehealth-based care. With this article, we describe how we have implemented procedures for the ongoing assessment and management of suicide risk in a clinical trial that compares in-office treatment to home-based treatment delivered via web-cam to U.S. military service members and veterans with depression. We describe our safety protocol and how it was adapted from current recommended best practices, published guidelines, and local requirements for managing patient safety during home-based telepractice. We conclude with discussion of other key safety issues associated with telepractice. The topics discussed are relevant to all mental health practitioners who are interested in clinical telepractice services.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth & Technology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Luxton
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
authors.forename: Larry D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Pruitt
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D061214:Patient Safety; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012308:Risk Management; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: patient safety; risk management; suicide risk; telehealth; telemedicine