Does a brief training on suicide prevention among general hospital personnel impact their baseline attitudes towards suicidal behavior? (original) (raw)
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Academic Psychiatry, 2017
Objectives This research is aimed to examine the attitude of health-care workers toward suicidal patients in Malaysian hospitals, comparing responses from psychiatric and nonpsychiatric workers, and to identify specific needs in suicide prevention and management training. Method This is a multi-site cross-sectional study. The authors conducted a survey based on a translated self-administered questionnaire to participants from seven core hospital departments. Results While most health-care workers regardless of department and specialty took their duty to prevent suicide seriously, a large majority of them expressed negative attitudes such as finding suicidal behavior irritating, and more than half believed suicidal attempts were a way of making others sorry. However, psychiatric workers were less likely to have judgmental attitudes that included believing suicide attempters as being selfish or trying to get sympathy from others. Conclusions As there were more similarities than differences in health-care workers' attitudes toward suicide, recommendations on basic and continuous suicide prevention and management training among hospital workers were made. The interventions focused on improving knowledge, affective, and skill-based areas that were aimed to correct the wrongful understanding of and to minimize the negative attitudes toward suicidal individuals indicated by the study results.
A study of attitude towards suicide prevention among non-mental health care providers
IP Innovative Publication Pvt. Ltd, 2017
Introduction: Increase in suicide rate is a major concern. Most suicide attempters approach health professionals for treatment. A negative attitude of these professionals toward these patients can be a major barrier for management. This study aims at assessing the attitude of non-mental health care providers towards suicide prevention. Materials and Method: One hundred and seventy five health care providers were approached to participate in this study during awareness creation symposium for suicide prevention, which was held on World Suicide Prevention Day. An attitude toward suicide prevention scale was administered to the participants and comparison of various variables was done with non mental health care providers those who have not attended awareness programme. Results: Mean age of participants was 29.24 (±8.62). The majority of them were doctors and Post graduate medical students including interns, 50.3% and 32% respectively. More than half (60%) of them had a positive attitude toward working with suicidal patients. Nearly 70% of the participants did not consider unemployment and poverty as the main causes of suicide, and were positively inclined towards suicide prevention measures. At the same time, nearly half of them were of the view that in the majority of the cases suicidal persons will not reveal their suicide plans to others. Conclusions: More than half of the non mental health care providers had a positive attitude toward working with suicidal patients. There is thus a need to create awareness on suicide prevention and to integrate health professionals across all areas in efforts at suicide prevention.
International journal of nursing studies, 2002
Attitudes of psychiatric nursing personnel towards patients who had attempted suicide were examined before and after a training program in psychiatric suicide prevention. The attitudinal changes were measured by a newly constructed scale, the understanding of suicide attempt patients scale (USP-scale), and responses to three brief clinical vignettes. General understanding and willingness to nurse, as measured by the USP-scale, increased significantly, and the suicide risk of patients described in case vignettes was estimated more accurately after the program. The results suggest that it may be possible to enhance attitudes to attempted suicide patients among psychiatric nursing personnel.
Evaluation of the Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk Training
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2012
This study assessed changes in attitudes, confidence, and practice behaviors among 452 clinicians who completed the training, Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk, and who work with clients at risk for suicide. Data were collected at three time points. Scores on measures of attitudes toward suicide prevention and confidence to work with clients at risk for suicide improved over time. Clinical practice behaviors improved for assessing and formulating suicide risk, developing suicide prevention treatment plans, and responding to vignettes. Results suggest training can improve clinicians' attitudes toward suicide, confidence to work with clients at risk for suicide, and, most importantly, clinical practice skills.
Development of 2-hour suicide intervention program among medical residents: First pilot trial
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 2010
Suicide is associated not only with primary psychiatric disorders but also with physical disorders. Physicians' education on suicide prevention contributes to reducing suicide. Therefore, medical residents, who contact patients daily and who eventually become primary physicians in each specialty, might be the most appropriate candidates for intervention. In this article, we introduce our newly developed suicide intervention program among medical residents. Methods: We developed a 2-hour suicide intervention program among medical residents, based on the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which had originally been developed for the public. The program contains a 1-hour lecture and a 1-hour role-play session. As the first pilot trial, we conducted the program among 44 first-year medical residents at a university hospital and evaluated its effectiveness. Changes in confidence, attitudes and behavior toward suicidal people were evaluated using selfreported questionnaires before, immediately after, and 6 months after the program. Results: Participants' confidence and attitudes significantly improved after the program. The total mean score (standard deviation) of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory improved from 18.4 (2.0) before the intervention to 19.4 (2.0) immediately after the intervention. However, the effectiveness was limited after 6 months. In the course of 6 months, the participants learned to apply the MHFA principles in their daily clinical practice. Conclusion: Our newly developed brief suicide intervention program demonstrating its effectiveness among medical residents should be modified in order to be more effective in the long term. The next trial with a control group ought to be conducted to evaluate our developed program.
Examination of suicidal thoughts in healthcare workers: Sample of a research and practice hospital
Medicine science, 2024
Working in a hospital is a very stressful and sometimes risky process for all healthcare professionals who have experienced this difficult process for years. This situation may increase the suicidal tendency of healthcare workers as a result of not only physical but also psychological exhaustion. The purpose of this study was to determine the examination of suicidal ideation and related factors among healthcare professionals working in a research and practice hospital. The data of this descriptive and cross-sectional study were collected prospectively by clinicians in a research and practice hospital. The sample of the research consisted of n=600 healthcare workers. The average age of healthcare workers was 32.46±7.79 years; 48% were women and 47.7% were married. 4% of healthcare workers had a past suicide attempt, and 18% had various levels of suicidal ideation. Women were more likely to attempt suicide. There was a positive, strong, and statistically significant correlation between depression, anxiety severity and suicidal ideation. Suicidal thoughts of healthcare professionals are affected by gender, depression and anxiety. The mental health of healthcare professionals should be evaluated periodically, and psychological support should be provided to healthcare professionals at risk of suicide.
Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi / Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, 2009
Appendix I Education programme on suicide prevention and management-Readings Appendix II Content of the education programme Appendix III Evaluation form Appendix IV Interview guide-process interview Appendix V Suicide Opinion Questionnaire Appendix VI Test-Knowledge on management of patients with suicidal risk Appendix VII Checklist-Nursing Management of Patient with Suicidal Precaution Appendix VIII Questionnaire-Nurses' stress and coping in caring for a suicidal patient Appendix IX Interview guide-outcome evaluation Appendix X Information sheet and consent form Appendix XI Demographic data Appendix XII Summary of programme evaluation Summary Background: There is increasing awareness and concern among healthcare professionals about patient suicides in general hospitals. Aim: To evaluate an education programme for the prevention and management of patient suicide by frontline nurses. Design: A evaluative design was used with a two-group pretest-posttest design and focus group interviews. Setting and subjects: A convenience sample of Registered nurses (N = 110) were recruited from the surgical and medical units of two general hospitals and randomly assigned to a study group (n = 54) and control group (n = 56). Intervention: A 8.5-hour education programme on suicide prevention based on reflective learning principles was conducted. Main outcome measures: Outcomes were measured by the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire, a test of knowledge, a nursing competency checklist, a questionnaire on stress and coping, and focus group interviews. Process evaluation was conducted using focus group interviews to assess the strengths and limitations of the programme. Analysis: Repeated measures analysis of variance and content analysis. Results: There were no significant differences between the study and control groups in any of the outcome measures. The qualitative data indicated that the participants considered that the education undertaken had benefited them by improving their attitude, confidence and professional skills in responding to suicidal patients. Participants gave examples of the application of new knowledge. They identified barriers in providing optimal care, which included the lack of support from senior staff, inadequate staffing, the lack of guidelines, the lack of coordination among disciplines and the physical environment of the wards. Conclusions: The duration of the programme and the barriers in the hospital environment may have influenced the outcomes. Ongoing education may be necessary to effect changes. Implications: This study has provided direction for the further development of the programme, and helped in the understanding of the difficulties that nurses encounter in practice.
Responses to patients with suicidal ideation among different specialties in general hospitals
General Hospital Psychiatry, 2008
The purpose of this study was to examine whether there were any differences in responses to patients with suicidal ideation among specialties in general hospitals. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in 2007. The subjects of the study were chief physicians at 75 emergency departments, 69 internal medicine departments and 154 psychiatry departments in 161 general hospitals with psychiatric beds in Japan. The physicians in internal and emergency medicine reported making arrangements for needed counseling services and recommending to patients that they talk to the people around them, whereas those in psychiatric departments reported asking patients to promise not to commit suicide (no-suicide contract) and making a next appointment for them. Internists and emergency physicians are likely to take different approaches when responding to patients with suicidal ideation than psychiatrists.
The qualitative evaluation of a suicide prevention and management programme by general nurses
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2008
Aim. To evaluate the effect of an education programme on nurses’ knowledge, attitude and competence on suicide prevention and management for patients with suicide attempt or ideation and their family members; and to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the programme from the participants’ perspectives.Background. Providing care for patients with suicidal ideation or after suicidal acts in general hospitals often poses particular challenges for general nurses. Education programme may help these nurses acquire appropriate attitude, knowledge and competence in suicide prevention and intervention.Design. An 18-hour education programme on suicide prevention and management was developed based on needs analysis and literature and was provided to the study group. Fifty-four registered general nurses from the medical and surgical units of two general hospitals completed the education programme. Focus groups were used for process (n = 24) and outcome evaluation (n = 18).Results. Findings suggested that the education intervention had benefited the participants by improving their attitude, confidence and professional skills in responding to patients with suicidal intent.Conclusion. Barriers in the practice environment influenced nurses’ abilities to give optimal care to this group of patients and their family members.Relevance to clinical practice. This study identified the essential content in an education intervention for prevention and management of suicide by frontline nurses and helped to understand the difficulties that nurses’ encountered in practice.