title: Characteristics and Proximal Outcomes of Calls Made to Suicide Crisis Hotlines in California.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide hotlines are commonly used to prevent suicides, although centers vary with respect to their management and operations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe variability across suicide prevention hotlines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Live monitoring of 241 calls was conducted at 10 suicide prevention hotlines in California.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Call centers are similar with respect to caller characteristics and the concerns callers raise during their calls. The proportion of callers at risk for suicide varied from 3 to 57%. Compliance with asking about current suicide risk, past ideation, and past attempts also ranged considerably. Callers to centers that were part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) were more likely to experience reduced distress than callers to centers that were not part of the NSPL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because callers do not generally choose the center or responder that will take their call, it is critical to promote quality across call centers and minimize the variability that currently exists. Accrediting bodies, funders, and crisis centers should require that centers continuously monitor calls to ensure and improve call quality.
authors.affiliation: 1 RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramchand
authors.affiliation: 1 RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jaycox
authors.affiliation: 2 RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ebener
authors.affiliation: 2 RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Lou
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: 2 RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Dionne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barnes-Proby
authors.affiliation: 2 RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Prodyumna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goutam
mesh_terms: D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015277:Hotlines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: California; crisis hotlines; evaluation; live monitoring; suicide prevention