Caring for patients with suicidal behaviour: an exploratory study

Abstract

Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suicidal behaviour is relatively common. While many of these patients may be referred on to specialist mental health services, many are either discharged with no psychiatric follow-up or leave before being seen. There is therefore an increasing onus on the staff of EDs to become involved in the assessment and initial management of this patient group. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences and challenges that nurses encounter when caring for patients who present to the ED with suicidal behaviour. Forty-two ED nurses completed a 15-item semi-structured questionnaire. Participants in this study identified risk assessment as part of their role but did not focus on psychosocial assessment or psychological management of this patient group. Feelings of sympathy and compassion were reported towards these patients; however, there was often a prior judgement of the perceived 'genuineness' of the presentation. Finally, challenges experienced included a lack of appropriate communication skills and insufficient resources within the ED to adequately care for this vulnerable patient group.