Files

Download

Download Full Text (984 KB)

Date

2019

Abstract

Although they may not call prevention centers, people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month before their attempt, and 38% in the week before. Given the recent suicide of a father in Newtown, CT whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook Massacre, it needs to be asked if his suicide could have been prevented by having his physician discuss his mental health with him at his most recent check-up. Of equal importance, it must be asked if there are flaws within the EHR platform that make it more difficult for physicians to access or document a recent major life event while reviewing a patient’s chart. This project's goal was to remind providers about a recent stressful life event for a patient by implementing a specific problem list entry on the EHR titled “History of Recent Stressful Life Event".

Clinical Site

Brookfield Family Medicine

Keywords

Connecticut, Suicide, EHR, Mental Health, Social Determinants of Health

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Disciplines

Medical Education | Primary Care

Falling Through The Digital Cracks: An EHR-Focused Approach to Promote Social History and Mental Health in the Outpatient Setting

Share

COinS