Introduction: Suicide is a public health problem in many countries. Several studies have shown occupational risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and high suicide rates in health care workers with respect to the general population. Objectives: To describe the current status of suicide in health care workers and assess demographic characteristics, occupational factors associated with suicidal ideation, and trends according to geographic location and to compare them with the general population or other professions. Method: Literature review in different databases in two stages: search/selection of items and assessment of 20 selected studies. Results: Health care workers have a higher risk of suicide compared with the general population and other professions. Increased risk was observed in the areas of nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and medicine. The medical specialties with the highest risk are anesthesiology and psychiatry, being higher in women and at an older age. Regarding the most used methods, subjects in the USA prefer firearms while in other countries they prefer an overdose of drugs. Recent unpleasant experiences/workplace harassment, burnout, and labor disputes have proven risk factors in suicidal ideation in doctors. Conclusions: There are demographic differences in the characteristics of suicide according to different studied populations. The methods employed by physicians per countries are different, possibly due to the cultural influence of each country. Associated factors have been found between risk and suicidal ideation. It would be important to work on them to develop prevention strategies in this population.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.