The Role of Nurses in the Prevention, Care, and Management of Suicide Essay

The Role of Nurses in the Prevention, Care, and Management of Suicide - Essay Example The first section of the paper identifies the nature and symptoms of suicide. Nurses should be aware of the nature, signs and symptoms of suicide and the factors contributing to suicide risk. Determining who are at risk should be done immediately to prevent suicide, thus the second part of this paper determines the preventive measures that must be done to control the situation. The third part discusses the proper care for patients at risk of suicide. Although care for patients with suicide tendency is the main responsibility of psychologists and psychiatrists, nurses contribute to the wellness of the patients and the continuity of the recovery program. The fifth part suggests follow up actions that nurses can perform to ensure complete recovery of patients with suicide tendency. The sixth part gives the conclusion and summarises all the important points in the prevention, care and management of suicide cases in the hospital setting. The role of the nurse in the prevention, care, and management of suicide among hospital patients is very significant. The nurses are the ones who have the most direct and frequent contact with the patients, thus they may affect the mood and emotional condition of patients with suicide tendency. The case of suicidal patients is very sensitive, thus nurses should be equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to identify and care for patients attempting to commit suicide.... e case of suicidal patients is very sensitive, thus nurses should be equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to identify and care for patients attempting to commit suicide. The number of suicide cases in the UK has decreased in the past years (Joint Commission Resources 2007). Nevertheless, this does not make suicide less of a problem. The World Health Organisation declared suicide as a major global health concern, accounting for approximately one million cases worldwide annually (Voice of America 2009). Currently, it is one of the three leading causes of death for young people under 25. This rate makes suicide a serious problem in the field of health care. To address this issue, patients with suicide tendency should be identified right away for counselling and other relevant interventions. In the hospital level, nurses can help to address the problem by assessing and reporting the behaviour of patients. Therefore, it is necessary for nurses to know the signs of suicide to ef fectively act and elicit efforts from the concerned people to initiate prevention of suicide attempts and manage proper care of the patient. Currently, only a few nursing studies have addressed suicide specifically (Fitzpatrick and Wallace 2005; Bryan and Rudd 2011). Study and assessment of suicide cases revealed poor patient assessment, limited communication, and knowledge deficit of professional staff about suicide. In this regard, it is imperative for every nurse or health worker in general to be aware of the behavioural signs that can manifest as part of suicide risk. Also, it is important to understand the nature of suicide ideation and the factors that could lead a person to commit suicide. Suicide Prevention Suicide ideation or tendency results usually from depression. When people