Saving lives by asking questions: nurses’ experiences of suicide risk assessment in telephone counselling in primary health care

Wärdig, Rikard; Engström, Ann-Sofie; Carlsson, Annelie; Wärdig, Frida; Hultsjö, Sally

doi:10.1017/s146342362200055x

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…This challenge of appropriate intervention has been reported in studies where primary care physicians and nurses testify that even when they identify a mental factor that requires investigation, they have difficulty taking suitable action [18,42,43]. Several factors have been associated with these professionals' reluctance to intervene: Scholars have noted that a key challenge was the fear that questions about suicide might cause patient nervousness and impair the therapeutic relationship [43]; nurses reported lacking confidence in their ability to debrief the patient and manage the suicide risk situation; moreover, nurses felt they lacked sufficient operational tools for managing a situation where patients require assistance and further referral [21]. Suicide prevention training relating to these issues has been shown to dramatically improve the prospect of nurses choosing to react and not disregard the situation [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurses’ Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Suicidal Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Depression Management Training

Sela,

Levi-Belz

2024

Healthcare

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Suicide prevention is a priority globally. Community nurses are on the frontline of healthcare, and thus well placed to identify those at risk of suicide and act to prevent it. However, they are often ill-equipped to do so. This study examines whether depression management training for nurses may also help them manage suicide-risk patients. Method: This quasi-experimental study used a questionnaire that included a randomly assigned textual case vignette, measures related to patient descriptions portrayed in the vignette, and demographic and clinical/training information. The participants were 139 Israeli nurses who were mostly Jewish, Israeli-born, and married women working as community nurses. Almost half had completed depression management training (DMT) in their routine work. Results: Nurses who completed depression management training were more likely than non-trainees to query the patient regarding mental status and suicide plans and were more likely to refer them to appropriate further treatment. The graduate nurses also reported higher self-competence and more positive attitudes regarding their ability to assess depression and suicide risk than nurses who had not received depression management training. Discussion: The results highlight the importance of depression management training, as suicide assessment and referral are among the major steps to suicide prevention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurses’ Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Suicidal Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Depression Management Training

Sela,

Levi-Belz

2024

Healthcare

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How, Why and When: Nursing Staff's Experiences of Working With Suicide Risk Assessment Instruments

Wärdig,

Wallerstedt,

Nyström

et al. 2024

Nursing Open

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Aims and objectivesTo describe psychiatric nursing staff´s experiences of working with suicide risk assessment instruments.BackgroundAround the world, approximately 720,000 people die by suicide each year, of which almost 20% have an ongoing contact with specialist psychiatry during their last month alive. To identify which patients have an increased risk of suicide is a highly important task for nursing staff. Suicidal behaviour is complex and unpredictable. Nursing staff work closely with patients in everyday psychiatric care and often possess unique patient knowledge. These professionals must therefore be able to know when a patient's eventual suicidality requires further attention and efforts.DesignA descriptive qualitative study.MethodsConvenience sampling including nursing staff with more than 2 years of experience in specialist psychiatry. The data collection took place through semi‐structured interviews and was then analysed according to conventional content analysis.ResultsThe nursing staff felt that a natural conversation is superior suicide risk assessment instruments and that experience and patient knowledge are the primary factors for facilitating a suicide risk assessment. This meant that some nursing staff rarely used suicide risk assessment instruments, although they sometimes could be a useful support in the conversation and provided a sense of personal security when documenting results.ConclusionSuicide risk assessment instrument can be significant and helpful in certain cases, but the essential components of a suicide risk assessment consist of a conversation to understand the meaning of suicide from the patient's perspective.Patient or Public ContributionPsychiatric nursing staff contributed to this study by sharing their experiences through interviews.

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Comparing the Efficacy of Electronically Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (e-CBT) to Weekly Online Mental Health Check-Ins for Generalized Anxiety Disorder—A Randomized Controlled Trial: Comparaison de l'efficacité de la thérapie cognitivo-comportementale délivrée par voie électronique (e-TCC) aux contrôles hebdomadaires en ligne de santé mentale pour le trouble d'anxiété généralisée - un essai randomisé contrôlé

Chermahini,

Eadie,

Agarwal

et al. 2024

Can J Psychiatry

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Background Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable worry, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, and irritability. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the first-line treatments that has demonstrated high efficacy in reducing symptoms of anxiety. Electronically delivered CBT (e-CBT) has been a promising adaptation of in-person treatment, showing comparable efficacy with increased accessibility and scalability. Finding further scalable interventions that can offer benefits to patients requiring less intensive interventions can allow for better resource allocation. Some studies have indicated that weekly check-ins can also lead to improvements in GAD symptoms. However, there is a lack of research exploring the potential benefits of online check-ins for patients with GAD. Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of weekly online asynchronous check-ins on patients diagnosed with GAD and compare it with a group receiving e-CBT. Methods Participants ( n e-CBT = 45; n check-in = 51) with GAD were randomized into either an e-CBT or a mental health check-in program for 12 weeks. Participants in the e-CBT program completed pre-designed modules and homework assignments through a secure online delivery platform where they received personalized feedback from a trained care provider. Participants in the mental health check-in condition had weekly asynchronous messaging communication with a care provider where they were asked structured questions with a different weekly theme to encourage conversation. Results Both treatments demonstrated statistically significant reductions in GAD—7-item questionnaire (GAD-7) scores over time, but when comparing the groups there was no significant difference between the treatments. The number of participants who dropped out and baseline scores on all questionnaires were comparable for both groups. Conclusions The findings support the effectiveness of e-CBT and mental health check-ins for the treatment of GAD.

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Saving lives by asking questions: nurses’ experiences of suicide risk assessment in telephone counselling in primary health care

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

Nurses’ Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Suicidal Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Depression Management Training

Nurses’ Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Suicidal Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Depression Management Training

How, Why and When: Nursing Staff's Experiences of Working With Suicide Risk Assessment Instruments

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