pss_3_screener: ED-SAFE Patient Safety Screener 3 (PSS-3)

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

ED-SAFE Patient Safety Screener 3 (PSS-3)

Description

Implements the Patient Safety Screener-3 (PSS-3), a brief 3-item tool used in emergency departments and acute care settings to screen for suicide risk. It assesses depressed mood, active suicidal ideation, and lifetime suicide attempts.

Usage

pss_3_screener(depressed_2weeks, suicidal_thoughts_2weeks,
               suicide_attempt_lifetime)

Arguments

depressed_2weeks	Numeric (0 or 1). Over the past 2 weeks, have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless? (1 = Yes).
suicidal_thoughts_2weeks	Numeric (0 or 1). Over the past 2 weeks, have you had thoughts of killing yourself? (1 = Yes).
suicide_attempt_lifetime	Numeric (0 or 1). In your lifetime, have you ever attempted to kill yourself? (1 = Yes).

Value

A list containing:

Screen_Result	"Positive" or "Negative" regarding suicide risk.
Risk_Interpretation	Specific context on whether the screen flags suicide risk or depression only.
Recommended_Action	Suggested clinical next steps (e.g., secondary screening, safety planning).

References

Boudreaux ED, Camargo CA Jr, Arias SA, et al. Improving Suicide Risk Screening and Detection in the Emergency Department. Am J Prev Med. 2016;50(4):445-453. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2015.09.029

Examples

# Example 1: Suicide Risk Positive (Thoughts)
# Depressed (1), Thoughts (1), No Attempt (0)
pss_3_screener(1, 1, 0)

# Example 2: Depression Only (Suicide Risk Negative)
# Depressed (1), No Thoughts (0), No Attempt (0)
pss_3_screener(1, 0, 0)

# Example 3: Negative Screen
# No to all
pss_3_screener(0, 0, 0)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.