OVERVIEW

Pediatric health professionals routinely interact with individuals at risk for suicide. The responsibility of pediatric physicians and advanced practice providers to assess, intervene, and monitor suicidality presents opportunities to save young lives. Such responsibility also poses challenges to clinicians who may feel themselves ill-prepared by lack of specific suicide prevention training and insufficiently supported by complex multi-sector care systems, particularly in the context of surging mental health needs related to COVID-19 and the national opioid crises.

Multiple workforce surveys indicate that many healthcare providers, including mental health professionals, report a lack confidence in their abilities to manage suicide risk and indicate having received minimal, or no, education about how best to help those at risk of suicide. The 2019 survey of American Academy of Pediatrics members found most pediatricians (81%) had a patient attempt or die by suicide, although only 61% reported always screening for suicide risk, and a minority (9%) used a suicide-specific tool.  The majority of respondents (86%) endorsed interest in additional training on suicide prevention: 23% were very interested; 38% were moderately interested and 35% characterized themselves as somewhat interested.

 In 2021, AAP (with AACAP and CHA) issued a Call to Action, citing the urgent need for strategies to meet the challenges of soaring rates of youth depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidality.  Last year, the AAP produced a Blueprint for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

This 3-part webinar series will review these new evidence-based recommendations for ambulatory primary care suicide prevention and community collaboration.  The series will also offer an update of key national, state and local resources available to pediatric health professionals and their patient families.