Suicide-Specific Interventions and Best Practices
Suicide-Specific Interventions and Best Practices is organized by Nurse.com - OnCourse Learning Corporation.
Course Originally Released on: 12/21/2022
Date of Most Recent Review: 12/21/2022
Course Termination/ Update Date: 12/31/2025
Description:
Traditionally, the treatment of individuals at risk for suicide has emphasized the person’s primary psychiatric disorder as the focus of treatment. The rationale was that as the person’s psychiatric disorder improved, they would feel less suicidal. Current guidelines based on the accumulation of evidence about treatment efficacy indicate that this approach is insufficient (The Joint Commission, 2016). The data on suicide rates in the U.S. support the need for improved identification and treatment of at-risk individuals. In 2018 alone, over 48,000 people died by suicide, and there were another 1.4 million attempts (Xu et al., 2020).
Goal and Learning Outcomes:
The goal of this course is to provide all healthcare professionals in the acute care setting with knowledge about evidence-based, suicide-specific interventions.
After taking this course, you should be able to:
• Identify the factors you should consider when determining what interventions may be needed for suicidal individuals.
• Recall three evidence-based interventions for treating individuals at risk for suicide or who have made a recent attempt.
• Recognize the process of completing a safety plan and for reducing access to lethal means.