Ligature Risk Frequently Asked Questions

TJC continued to build upon its list of ligature risk frequently asked questions (FAQs). This relates to the revised NPSG.15.01.01 that becomes effective this July. In fact, there are now 21 ligature FAQs and an additional 10 FAQs relative to the safety goal. Here’s what you need to know.

Ligature Risk Frequently Asked Questions

You should sign up to receive alerts when they post new FAQs. But, the “NEW” red identifier does not stay long before it disappears. The content gets lost in the hundreds of other FAQs posted to their website.

In addition, as we were drafting this newsletter, we noticed a new red identifier, “FEATURED” for NPSG.15.01.01 EP 3. The content appears identical to the content that existed before (i.e., it is not “NEW” or revised). But, this content is quite interesting.

For example, the Joint Commission released the R3 publication on suicide safety released last November. And, in this FAQ, TJC states that you cannot change the validated suicide risk screening tool you’ve selected. But, you can modify the evidence-based assessment tool you use. That is providing your edited tool still assesses 6 elements:

• Ideation
• Plan
• Intent
• Behaviors
• Risk
• Protective factors

We don’t know why anyone would want to change an evidence-based, nationally accepted assessment tool. But, here is another point that’s not clear. Given the flexibility they grant for hospital specific edits to the assessment tool, why can’t you change a screening tool?

Furthermore, the entire subject is more complex. For example,

• There are 21 FAQs
• 10 apply to a recently developed and published safety goal
• Plus, the suicide portal content

While this is a very important patient care issue, the level of minutia in the rules is becoming excessive.