Upon reviewing policies and guidelines this author found a local policy from Sacred Heart Health Systems, in regards to suicide precautions for the adult population. The policy the author found originated in 1997 and was last revised in 2012. There is some notated concern that the policy expires in 2015, and there are no indications of review currently. This policy states the nurse is able to initiate suicide precautions on a patient in emergency-based situations, which will require a patient sitter to be initiated until the health care physician is notified. There are several procedures the nurse must follow, during a suicidal precaution initiation, which starts with a risk assessment. During the primary nursing assessment, the nurse has the
