The Cost of Universal Suicide Risk Screening for Adolescents in Emergency Departments

Kyle L. Grazier (), Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan, David Brent, Adam Horwitz, Taylor C. McGuire, T. Charles Casper, Michael W. Webb and Cheryl A. King
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Kyle L. Grazier: Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan: Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
David Brent: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Adam Horwitz: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Taylor C. McGuire: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
T. Charles Casper: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
Michael W. Webb: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
Cheryl A. King: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 19, 1-8

Abstract: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. As nearly 20% of adolescents visit emergency departments (EDs) each year, EDs have an opportunity to identify previously unrecognized suicide risk. A novel Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY) was shown in a multisite study to be predictive for suicide attempts within 3 months. This study uses site-specific data to estimate the cost of CASSY implementation with adolescents in general EDs. When used universally with all adolescents who are present and able to participate in the screening, the average cost was USD 5.77 per adolescent. For adolescents presenting with non-behavioral complaints, the average cost was USD 2.60 per adolescent. Costs were driven primarily by time and personnel required for the further evaluation of suicide risk for those screening positive. Thus, universal screening using the CASSY, at very low costs relative to the cost of an ED visit, can facilitate services needed for at-risk adolescents.

Keywords: suicide; screening; adolescent; cost analysis; emergency department; universal screening (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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