Ascertainment of Patient Suicides by Veterans Affairs Facilities and Associations With Veteran, Clinical, and Suicide Characteristics
Bibliographic Data
Objectives. To evaluate the sensitivity of health care facility documentation of suicide deaths among US veterans with recent Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care and assess variation in identification by veteran, clinical, and suicide death characteristics. Methods. Cross-sectional analyses included 11 148 veterans who died by suicide in 2013 to 2017, per National Death Index death certificate information, with VHA encounters in the year of death or the previous year. Facility suicide ascertainment was assessed per site reports in the VHA Suicide Prevention Applications Network. Bivariate and multivariable analyses assessed ascertainment by decedent demographic, clinical, utilization, and method of suicide characteristics. Results. Site reports identified 3667 suicide decedents (32.9%). Veteran suicide decedents identified by facilities were more likely to be younger and with clinical risk factors and more recent VHA encounters. Suicide deaths involving poisoning were less likely to be identified than deaths involving other methods. Conclusions. VHA facility ascertainment of suicide deaths among recent patients was neither comprehensive nor representative. Findings will inform efforts to enhance facility suicide surveillance and veteran suicide prevention
Cause of death · Confidence interval · Death certificate · Disease · Family medicine · Hazard ratio · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · National Death Index · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Suicide methods · Suicide prevention · Suicide rates · Veterans Affairs · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Medicine · Poisoning and overdose treatments · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Gerontology
Assessment of suicidal intention
Beyond the Tower of Babel
Do Suicide Survivors Suffer Social Stigma
Clinical decision making regarding suicide risk
The accuracy of officially reported suicide statistics for purposes of epidemiological research
Community-Based Surveillance and Case Management for Suicide Prevention
Predictive Modeling and Concentration of the Risk of Suicide
Surveillance of Suicide and Suicide Attempts Among Veterans
Lessons Learned from Mental Health Enhancement and Suicide Prevention Activities in the Veterans Health Administration
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |