Suicide Risk Assessment Guide - Ontario Hospital Association

Acknowledgements
We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the development
of this resource guide. In particular, we would like to thank the interview
participants and their affiliated organizations for sharing their enthusiasm,
experiences, and unique insights regarding suicide risk assessment. We were
also fortunate to receive feedback from international members – the interRAI
Network of Excellence in Mental Health – who provided enthusiastic support
and shared their perspectives on the importance of suicide risk assessment for
promoting patient safety.
The research team would also like to thank several people and groups for their
support in developing this resource guide. Kaitlin Bellai from Homewood
Research Institute provided assistance with the organization of the literature
review, and Karen Parsons provided detailed editing of the resource guide.
We are very grateful to Josephine Muxlow, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult
Mental Health in the First Nations and Inuit Health Atlantic Region, for her
extensive review and for providing insight into the content and writing of
this guide. The Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council (WRSPC) was
also a valuable resource for added perspectives on suicide risk assessment.
We would also like to acknowledge the in-kind support of the Homewood
Research Institute in Guelph, Ontario; the Department of Health Studies
and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario; and the
School of Public Health at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
We would like to acknowledge the commitment of the Patient Safety in Mental
Health Pan-Canadian Advisory Group in the development of this resource
guide. This group has shared their extensive experience and advice to support
and shape this guide into a resource that is grounded in practical application
for Canadian health care organizations, while maintaining person-centred
care and safety. The members of the advisory group are:
• Glenna Raymond (Chair), President and CEO, Ontario Shores Centre for
Mental Health Sciences, Ontario
• Lisa Crawley Beames, Clinical Leader Manager, St. Michael’s Hospital,
Ontario and President, Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses
• Dr. Linda Courey, Director, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Cape
Breton District Health Authority, Nova Scotia