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

Denneson LM, Tompkins K, Hindenburg MM, Reguinga A, Bohnert KM, Ganoczy DA, Ilgen MA, Britton PC. Collaboration and consent in decisions to initiate emergency dispatches for suicide risk: A national qualitative study. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior. 2025 Apr 1; 55(2):e13142, DOI: 10.1111/sltb.13142.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

• RCS 19-333 – Research Career Scientist Award
• SDR 20-044 – A Multi-Method Examination of Veteran Crisis Line Emergency Dispatches

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

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.