Background:
The organizational self-study is designed to allow you to assess what components of the comprehensive Zero Suicide approach your organization currently has in place. The self-study can be used early in the launch of a Zero Suicide initiative to assess organizational strengths and weaknesses and to develop a work plan. Later in your implementation efforts, the self-study can be used as a fidelity check to determine how closely the components of the Zero Suicide model are being followed and as an opportunity to identify areas for improvement. We recommend taking the self-study at launch and then at 12-month intervals. Staff involved in the policymaking for and care of patients at risk for suicide should complete the self-study as part of an implementation team. The team should complete this tool together during one of their initial meetings. While the self-study is not exhaustive with regard to all issues that can affect patient care and outcomes, it does reflect components that define the Zero Suicide approach. For more information or clarification regarding any of the items in this self-study, please visit zerosuicide.com. Each component of the Zero Suicide model is measured on a rating scale from 1 to 5, described below. The scale is intended to balance minimal reporting burden with measuring implementation for the most essential parts of the model. This tool should be completed by members of the implementation team who are responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s Zero Suicide initiative.
