KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to evaluate oncology professionals’ views on integrating electronic suicide risk screening into routine HNC.
- The results revealed diverse staff perspectives on implementing SRS; further strategies are needed for broader cancer patient screening.
Limited research exists on suicide risk screening (SRS) among head and neck cancer (HNC) patients despite their heightened suicide risk.
Bhargav Kansara and the team aimed to address this gap by conducting a single-site mixed methods study evaluating oncology professionals’ perspectives on the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of integrating an electronic SRS program into routine care for patients with HNC.
Staff involved in SRS implementation, including nurses, medical assistants, advanced practice providers, physicians, and social workers, participated in a one-time survey (N= 29) and interview (N= 25). Quantitative measures evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness using validated tools. Qualitative data complemented quantitative findings to offer contextual insights.
The results revealed that nurses and medical assistants who played direct roles in SRS implementation reported lower levels of feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness compared to other team members, including physicians, social workers, and advanced practice providers. Team members identified potential enhancements to optimize SRS, such as hiring more staff, enhancing staff training, offering diverse screening modalities for individuals with disabilities, and refining patient-reported outcomes to enhance suicide risk prediction.
The study concluded that staff perspectives on implementing suicide risk screening in routine cancer care for HNC patients exhibited significant variation. Prior to broader implementation for HNC and other cancer patients, additional strategies may be necessary to streamline workflow and alleviate staff burden, including enhanced staff training, offering various completion modalities, and refining tools to pinpoint patients at the highest suicide risk.
Part of the funding for this research was provided by the Participant Research, Interventions, and Measurements Core at the Moffitt Cancer Center, designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38777326/
Kansara B, Basta A, Mikhael M, et al. (2024). “Suicide Risk Screening for Head and Neck Cancer Patients: An Implementation Study.” Appl Clin Inform. 2024 Mar;15(2):404-413. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1787006. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 38777326.
