The impact of suicide prevention education programmes for nursing students: A systematic review

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review was to locate and synthesize peer-reviewed evidence regarding the effectiveness of providing suicide prevention education to nursing students. Systematic searches were conducted in seven databases (EMBASE, EmCare, Joanna Briggs, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science). Results were screened in duplicate at two stages: title and abstract, and full text. Critical appraisal and data extraction were also completed in duplicate. Initial database searching yielded 303 results. Following the addition of seven records from relevant reference lists, and the removal of duplicates, a total of 118 results were included for screening. Eight articles were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review; most (n = 5) were quantitative. While all were conducted within university settings, half were stand-alone education sessions, while the remaining were integrated with existing programmes/courses. The types of education programmes varied considerably across studies, with only three being established, evidence-based programmes. The studies explore a range of outcomes, which have been narratively categorized as enhanced skills, abilities, and self-confidence; development of positive attitudes and beliefs; acquisition of knowledge; and programme experience and evaluation. While there is a small body of evidence indicating that suicide prevention education programmes contribute to improvements in skills, abilities, self-confidence, and attitudes among nursing students, the variability in educational interventions and outcomes, coupled with short-term evaluation time frames, makes it difficult to fully understand the impact of this important suicide prevention strategy.

A Systematic Review of Training Interventions for Emergency Department Providers and Psychosocial Interventions delivered by Emergency Department Providers for Patients who self-harm

“…Common objectives are to improve staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding self-harm, ultimately aiming to improve patient care. This is in line with findings that poor knowledge, clinical skills, and negative attitudes, negatively impact staff's ability to provide good quality care (Ferguson et al, 2020;Rothes et al, 2014). Hence, suicide prevention strategies highlight educational initiatives in addition to patient-level interventions.…”

“…Self-harm training interventions for generalist ED providers are usually brief standalone programs, delivered to staff on a voluntary basis (Ferguson et al, 2020). Common objectives are to improve staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding self-harm, ultimately aiming to improve patient care.…”

“…Hence, suicide prevention strategies highlight educational initiatives in addition to patient-level interventions. Continuous education in suicide prevention is particularly important in general healthcare settings such as the ED: generalist providers deliver varying levels of mental health care to patients; yet studies have repeatedly identified a lack of adequate training (Brunero et al, 2012;Ferguson et al, 2020;Ross & Goldner, 2009).…”

“…Finally, it would be useful to examine the effects of specific intervention components and how they compare to welldefined TAU. Process evaluations to unpack how specific components work in practice that involve service users in intervention planning and delivery, would bring valuable insights into what works for whom and how (Brunero et al, 2012;Ferguson et al, 2020).…”

Engagement between adults in suicidal crises and nurses in mental health wards: a qualitative study of patients' perspectives

“…Training and supervision to discuss, assess, and respond to suicidal ideation should include lived experiences and be provided within an interpersonal framework, instead of merely focusing on medical-technical aspects (Berg et al, 2017). Such initiatives are crucial, especially for young nurses and nurses who feel unconfident and ill-prepared to care for people with suicidal ideation (Alhamidi & Alyousef, 2020;Ferguson, Reis, Rabbetts, et al, 2020;Osafo et al, 2018). Furthermore, training and supervision from a psychotherapeutic lens can provide nurses with concepts and principles that inform their clinical reasoning and interventions.…”