A suicide risk screening and follow-up program for adolescents in rural Appalachian school clinics

This study will adapt and evaluate an evidence-based suicide risk screening and follow-up program in two school-based health centers in West Virginia. The suicide screening program is titled the "NIMH Clinical Pathway" and provides tools and procedures for routinely screening adolescents for suicide risk screening, suicide risk assessment, safety planning, referral procedures, and follow-up care activities for adolescents receiving health services.

The study will assess implementation outcomes, including suicide screening practices, identification of suicide risk, safety planning, and follow-up service delivery, as well as participant outcomes including suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, satisfaction with services, suicidal behavior, safety plan utilization, and acute care utilization. Data collected across participating sites will be combined to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the adapted Clinical Pathway. Protocol amendments resulted in consolidation of site-specific outcome measures into combined analyses across participating school-based health centers. The ClinicalTrials.gov record was updated to reflect the current protocol, study procedures, and planned statistical analyses.