Collaboration and consent in decisions to initiate emergency dispatches for suicide risk: A national qualitative study.

Introduction: This study sought to better understand discussions of emergency dispatches (i.e., activation of local crisis services to conduct a welfare check) and the circumstances under which Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) callers and responders feel they are able contribute to (collaboration) and agree upon (consent) the decision to initiate an emergency dispatch.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews gathered data on veterans' (n = 40) experiences receiving an emergency dispatch and VCL responders' (n = 35) perspectives on initiating dispatches. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

Results: Veterans calling the VCL were often seeking emotional support and were surprised to receive a suicide risk assessment and emergency dispatch. Responders reported they strive for collaboration and consent prior to sending a dispatch, but the crisis setting challenged this ideal. Overall, veterans and responders described similar features of the ideal, collaborative conversation about dispatches yet noted threats to achieving collaboration: complex standard operating procedures, responder training quality, and responder lack of comfort with de-escalation.

Conclusions: Increasing veteran awareness of VCL services, altering the timing and type of suicide risk assessment, enhancing de-escalation skill, increasing consistency of VCL responder proficiencies, and revising guidelines for dispatch disclosure were identified as ways to improve collaboration and consent around emergency dispatches.