The Potential of Simulation to Enhance Nursing Students’ Preparation for Suicide Risk Assessment: A Review

Abstract

Suicide risk assessment is a critical skill in preventing suicide. Yet most nurses do not feel confident in assessing suicide risk. Development of this potentially life-saving skill needs to begin at the undergraduate nursing level. As simulation is an effective pedagogical tool utilised within nursing education, the aim of this paper was to explore the potential of simulation in preparing student nurses' for suicide risk assessment. Literature was examined to identify what simulation modalities were employed within nursing education and the outcomes associated with these. The findings suggest that to varying degrees all simulation modalities have the potential to decrease student anxiety, and increase student confidence, knowledge and communication skills when working with people at risk of suicide. However the use of Standardised Patient (SP) simulation adds an authenticity to the experience and allows for the assessment of a wider range of human responses, including key nonverbal communication skills. The sense of realism provided by SP allows for more in-depth understanding into the person's experiences, which is critical in the assessment of a person's mental health needs and risk of suicide. The majority of simulations identified were located within a mental health setting. Given that student nurses may encounter a person who is suicidal in any clinical setting, further research is needed on simulation which integrates mental health assessments and suicide risk assessment into a variety of clinical areas.

Effect of empathy training on the empathy level of healthcare providers in Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial

“…This indicates a medium change in effect size. This is higher than previous studies' reports on changes in the effect size of empathy levels from the empathy intervention from 0.18 to 0.30 (Williams et al, 2015b;Holden, 2017;Riess, 2018) but consistent with recent systematic review reports on effect sizes attributed to mean scores from empathy interventions involving the standardized patient and simulated education using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy ranged from the medium (0.5) to large effect (0.8), respectively (Shin et al, 2015;Cant and Cooper, 2017;Davison et al, 2017;Riess, 2018). This is because our recent empathy training intervention package incorporates some of a similar training package with additional training resources.…”

“…The recommended sample size for studies that planned to use the validated Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was 25 ( Hojat et al, 2018b ), but many studies showed significant improvements in empathy scores with varying sample sizes ranging from n = 10 to n = 263 ( Brunero et al, 2010 ). Recent systematic reviews reported on the effect sizes attributed to an effective empathy intervention involving the standardized patient and simulated education using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy ranged from medium (0.5) to large effect (0.8), respectively ( Shin et al, 2015 ; Cant and Cooper, 2017 ; Davison et al, 2017 ; Riess, 2018 ). Effect size (d), according to Cohen, is a measure of the magnitude of the effectiveness of a particular intervention ( Cohen, 1988 ).…”

Suicide literacy in nurses: A cross‐sectional study

“…Teaching staff can use teaching strategies which deepen nursing students’ knowledge and skills concerning intervention in patients at risk of suicide. For example, in a review by Davison et al (2017), the effect of the use of simulation on students’ suicide risk evaluation skills was examined. In the conclusion of the study, it was found that the use of a standard patient reduced students’ anxiety and increased their knowledge and skills.…”