An Electronic Clinical Decision Support System for the Assessment and Management of Suicidality in Primary Care: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint)

Abstract

1Background: Suicide is a global public health concern, but it is preventable. Increased contact with primary care before the suicide or attempted suicide raises opportunities for intervention and prevention. However, suicide assessment and management is an area that many General Practitioners (GPs) find particularly challenging. Previous research has indicated significant variability in how GPs understand, operationalise and assess suicide risk which subsequently has an impact on clinical decision making. Clinical Decision Support systems (CDSS) have been widely implemented across different healthcare settings, including primary care to support practitioners in clinical decision making. CDSS may reduce inconsistencies in the identification, assessment and management of suicide risk by GPs by guiding them through the consultation and generating a risk assessment plan that can be shared with a service user or with specialised mental health services.