BackgroundSuicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, over 700,000 people die by suicide each year. Healthcare workers are more vulnerable to suicide risk factors than the general population. The global COVID‐19 pandemic presents additional workplace and health concerns that relate to suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. It is important to recognise suicide risk factors in healthcare workers and to implement strategies to reduce these risk factors.ObjectivesThis study describes the impact of the global COVID‐19 pandemic on risk factors for suicide in healthcare workers and identifies evidence‐based strategies and resources to reduce suicide risk factors in healthcare workers.DesignThe authors conducted a thematic analysis and narrative review of the literature.MethodsUsing health science databases, the authors searched the literature, selected and analyzed studies, identified themes, synthesised findings and created a narrative review. The STROBE checklist was used in this study.ResultsTwo themes were identified (1) The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on work‐related suicide risk factors in healthcare workers; (2) The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health‐related suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. The pandemic has affected suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. Many studies discussed evidence‐based strategies and resources that can be used to reduce suicide risk factors.ConclusionThe global COVID‐19 pandemic has negatively impacted suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. It is time for individuals and healthcare delivery systems to implement suicide risk prevention strategies to protect healthcare workers now and in the future.Relevance to Clinical PracticeThis review increases awareness of the pandemic's impact on healthcare workers' risk factors for suicide and identifies evidence‐based suicide risk prevention strategies and resources for healthcare workers.Patient or Public ContributionLibrary services supported this research by generating search strategies and providing resources and tools.

AimsTo investigate the relationship between anxiety and quality of life among older adults with self‐reported polypharmacy living in the long‐term care setting.DesignA cross‐sectional design was used.MethodsBetween July 2021 and August 2022, 92 older adults living in long‐term care completed an anonymous one‐time questionnaire packet. Polypharmacy was measured as self‐reported five or more medications daily. Anxiety was measured using the Geriatric Anxiety Scale‐Long Term Care tool. Quality of life was measured as health‐related quality of life using two global questions from the RAND‐36 and as medication‐related quality of life using the Medication‐Related Quality of Life Scale.ResultsThe prevalence of polypharmacy was 89%. Among participants with polypharmacy, average age was 80.1 ± 7.9 years. The majority were female (70%) and white (85%). There was a moderate‐to‐strong correlation between anxiety and quality of life. Specifically, anxiety was negatively related to current health‐related quality of life, perceived change in health‐related quality of life and medication‐related quality of life. Overall, anxiety explained 27–31% of the variance in both health‐related and medication‐related quality of life.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that as anxiety increases, health‐related and medication‐related quality of life decreases in older adults living in long‐term care who report consuming five or more medications daily. Advanced practice nurses can use these findings to guide practice, tailor interventions and improve care for these long‐term care residents.ImplicationsMultiple medications are increasingly prescribed to treat multiple comorbidities in older adults. As a result, the prevalence of polypharmacy (≥5 medications per day) is rising and problematic. The main findings of this study highlight the negative relationship between anxiety and quality of life in this population and the need for adequate assessment of anxiety by advanced practice nurses in order to personalize care.Reporting MethodIn preparing the manuscript, the authors have adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines and the STROBE checklist for cross‐sectional studies.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution outside of participation in the actual study for purposes of data collection.

The prevalence of polypharmacy (≥5 medications per day) is rising among older adults. Multiple medications are increasingly prescribed to treat multiple comorbidities in this growing population. An increase in anxiety and a decline in quality of life are also seen with polypharmacy, although evidence is limited. This study investigated the relationship between anxiety and quality of life in long-term care residents with polypharmacy. Sixty-nine long-term care residents who reported polypharmacy completed a questionnaire regarding anxiety and quality of life. Anxiety was measured with the Geriatric Anxiety Scale Long-term Care (GAS-LTC), health-related quality of life was measured with two questions from the RAND-36, and medication-related quality of life was measured with the Medication-related Quality of Life Scale (MRQoLS). Mean age was 80.74 ± 7.8 years. The majority were female (72%) and white (88%). The mean GAS-LTC score was 2.75 ± 2.4, indicating relatively low overall anxiety. There were moderate-strong, negative correlations between anxiety and all quality of life measures indicating that as anxiety increased, quality of life decreased. Specifically, anxiety was negatively related to general health-related quality of life (r = -.51, p < 0.001), health-related quality of life compared to one year ago (r = -.54, p < 0.001), and medication-related quality of life (r = -.57, p < 0.001). Among this group of older adults with polypharmacy residing in long-term care, those with greater anxiety reported diminished quality of life related to both overall health and use of medications. Further studies to examine mechanism and causality are needed.

Nurses have many opportunities to screen patients and intervene to prevent patient suicide. This study used Moustakas' transcendental descriptive phenomenology method to generate a description of the experiences of student nurses while caring for patients at risk for suicide. Fourteen bachelor of science in nursing graduates with experience in caring for suicidal patients were recruited from two universities and interviewed once. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed, and five themes were identified. In nursing education, greater and earlier emphasis on suicide prevention and crisis intervention may help prepare nurses for their vital role. These findings have implications for nursing education, nursing practice, and patient health outcomes.