Are clinicians comfortable with suicide care and its impact to their daily practice

What is it about?

While healthcare systems across the country continue to look at how to decrease rates of suicide, it's important to note that research shows us that while most direct care staff are comfortable screening for suicide risk, many are not comfortable in their ability to assess and safety plan for this population. There are also concerns that adding these steps into the clinical visit will slow down already strained care delivery. This article gives insight into what staff perceptions organizations might face and areas of focus to be addressed prior to implementing a structured suicide prevention model.

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Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Why is it important?

With alarming increases in suicide rates, it is important to understand how comfortable clinical staff and physicians are with providing evidence-based suicide care interventions before implementing a model like Zero Suicide to ensure buy in and sustainability. Suicide is a preventable cause of death that healthcare and behavioral health care organizations must continue to address in the most current, evidence-based ways. Allowing clinicians to freely voice concerns and educational needs promotes a more receptive and adaptive workforce.