Performance in Practice: Physician Practice Assessment Tool for the Assessment and Treatment of Adults at Risk for Suicide and Suicide-Related Behaviors

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) are implementing multifaceted Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements to enhance quality of patient care and assess and verify the competence of physicians over time (ABPN 2009). Beginning in 2013, for those applying for 2014 MOC examinations, the practice assessment component (Part 4 of MOC) will require physicians to compare their care for five or more patients with “published best practices, practice guidelines or peer-based standards of care and develop a plan to improve effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery in their clinical practice” (ABPN 2009). To this end, the evidence-based Performance in Practice Physician Practice Assessment Tool for the Assessment and Treatment of Adults at Risk for Suicide and Suicide-related Behaviors that is presented here provides psychiatrists with the opportunity to gain experience with practice assessment, in preparation for the new ABMS and ABPN MOC requirements. Moreover, this tool can facilitate implementation of a systematic approach toward practice improvement for the assessment and treatment of patients with suicidal ideation and behavior.