TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Characterizing suicidal ideation, suicidal behaviors, and service utilization among unhoused individuals using a health information exchange
JO  - Journal of clinical psychology (Hoboken)
A1  - Ho, Zandra V.
A1  - Arias, Sarah A.
A1  - Kunicki, Zachary J.
A1  - Sarkar, Indra Neil
A1  - Chen, Elizabeth S.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Unhoused individuals have high rates of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behaviors (SB), but few have studied the relative timing of homelessness and SI/SB. Our study examines the potential to use state-wide electronic health record data from Rhode Island's health information exchange (HIE) to identify temporal relationships, service utilization, and associations of SI/SB among unhoused individuals. <br><br>METHODS: We use timestamped HIE data for 5368 unhoused patients to analyze service utilization and the relative timing of homelessness versus SI/SB onset. Multivariable models identified associations of SI/SB, hospitalization, and repeat acute care utilization within 30 days from clinical features representing 10,000+ diagnoses captured within the HIE. <br><br>RESULTS: The onset of SI typically precedes homelessness onset, while the onset of SB typically follows. Weekly rates of suicide-related service utilization increased over 25 times the baseline rate during the week before and after homelessness onset. Over 50% of encounters involving SI/SB result in hospitalization. Of those engaging in acute care for suicide-related reasons, we found high rates of repeat acute care encounters. <br><br>CONCLUSION: HIEs are a particularly valuable resource for understudied populations. Our study demonstrates how longitudinal, multi-institutional data from an HIE can be used to characterize temporal associations, service utilization, and clinical associations of SI and behaviors among a vulnerable population at scale. Increasing access to services that address co-occurring SI/SB, mental health, and substance use is needed.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0021-9762
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23566
ID  - ref1
ER  -