"I want him to know that I'm on his side…" understanding the nature of suicide care from the perspectives of emergency department nurses.

INTRODUCTION

This study was aimed at understanding emergency department (ED) nurses' experiences of caring for people who attempted suicide. ED nurses provide care to a great number of patients who have attempted suicide. EDs are accepted as an important environment to prevent repeat suicidal behavior and the importance of initiating interventions to prevent repeated attempts is emphasized.

METHOD

This study was a descriptive qualitative study. The study was conducted with 15 ED nurses who provided care to individuals who attempted suicide in two university hospitals in Turkey. Data were collected through face-to-face, semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) were used to ensure the comprehensive reporting of this qualitative study protocol.

RESULTS

The data were categorized under the following four themes: elements of current care, barriers to effective care, dimensions that should be improved in providing care, and needs.

CONCLUSION

Biomedical approaches constitute the basic elements of nurses' care provided to a suicidal patient, and nurses have difficulty in providing emotional support. Caring for a suicidal patient creates an emotional burden for nurses. Nurses stated that they were faced with barriers related to emotional burden, stigma, lack of time, knowledge gaps, and unsuitable physical environment.