Construction and validation of an instrument for the assessment of care provided to people with suicidal behavior

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an instrument for evaluating primary health care professionals’ assistance to people with suicidal behavior. METHODS: This was a methodological study, which began with a literature review, followed by the elaboration of an instrument. In its first version, the instrument had 34 items, divided into four domains: “professional characterization,” “professional perception ” “professional knowledge/abilities,” and “organization of the care network.” Contents were validated using the Delphi method. Semantic analysis was performed by college-educated primary health care professionals in greater and lesser strata of ability. For internal consistency analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated. The study was conducted between January and December 2017. RESULTS: After four Delphi rounds, the instrument was successfully validated. In its final form, it is comprised of 50 items, divided into five domains: “professional characterization,” “professional sensibility,” “professional experience,” “professional knowledge/abilities,” and “organization of the care network.” Questions belonging to the last four domains have answers on a five-point Likert scale. In the semantic analysis, 93.6% of the evaluations were “good” and “very good.” The instrument’s general Cronbach alpha was 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: The final version of the instrument was able to fulfill its objectives. It is useful as a support for epidemiological research and planning of health actions. The evaluation of professional approaches to suicidal behavior is crucial for the organization of suicide assistance services in primary health care, and for the integration of services provided by different care units

Professional Attitudes Towards Suicidal Behavior in Primary Health Care: A Quasi-Experimental Study

“…However, it is noted that the attitude construct can be analyzed from the qualitative and quantitative perspectives, which are complementary to each other. In Nursing and in the Mental Health area, instruments have been used to investigate professional attitudes towards complex problems, such as suicidal behavior [18][19][20] and alcohol consumption 21 , with relevant contributions for us to understand the most potential training processes for incorporating new attitudes and modifying stabilized attitudes that are sustained based on common sense, moral precepts and religious beliefs that can negatively influence the health professionals' attitude when dealing with suicidal behavior, as in the case of this research.…”

Atitudes Profissionais Em Relação Ao Comportamento Suicida Na Atenção Primária À Saúde: Um Estudo Quase-Experimental

“…Ressalta-se, contudo, que a análise do constructo atitude pode ser realizada sob as perspectivas qualitativa e quantitativa, complementares entre si. Na Enfermagem e na área de saúde mental, instrumentos tem sido utilizadas para a investigação das atitudes profissionais frente a problemáticas complexas, como o comportamento suicida [18][19][20] e o consumo de álcool 21 , com contribuições relevantes para compreendermos os processos formativos mais potenciais para incorporação de novas atitudes e modificação de atitudes estabilizadas mas que estão sustentadas com base no senso comum, preceitos morais, crenças religiosas que podem exercer, negativamente, influências na atitude de profissionais de saúde ao lidarem, como no caso dessa investigação, com o comportamento suicida.…”