SUICIDE ASSESSMENT IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS: AN EXAMINATION OF CLINICIAN STRESS, COPING AND PERCEPTIONS OF CONTEXTUAL VARIABLES

Abstract

Underserved populations have the higher risk to die by suicide. When patients are suffering from suicidal ideation, patients are directed to the emergency department. In order to investigate the experiences of emergency department (ED) clinicians when assessing underserved population patients who present to the ED, three research articles were completed: (a) systematic review of literature of this topic; (b) hermeneutical phenomenological study designed to best grasp the lived experience of ED clinicians assessing patients that are part of underserved populations (c) policy brief of recommendations about how to better provide care for patients who present to the ED with suicidal ideation (SI). The systematic review demonstrated the lack of studies about how ED clinicians assess and perceive patients who presented to the ED with SI. The phenomenological study results in four emergent themes of the lived experience of ED clinicians assessing patients with SI: (1) ED clinicians’ interest in environment variety; (2) ED clinicians expressed lack of clarity of their ED role with patients presenting with SI; (3) ED clinicians observed disjointed care resulting in inappropriate placement of patients with SI to ED, and (4) ED clinicians experience contextual variables. The policy brief suggested the need for change in the way patients who present with SI and identify in underserved populations are cared for in the ED. Recommendations are made for more psychiatric EDs as well as more education for clinicians.