Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!
May/June 2008
Volume 6 Number 3
Pages 46 - 53
Abstract
Would you recognize suicidal behavior in one of your patients and know how to intervene? We'll give you practical, potentially lifesaving guidelines you can follow
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JOESEPH GAINES, a single, 36-year-old teacher, came to the emergency department (ED) by ambulance after his neighbor called 911. He suffered a near-fatal overdose—a failed suicide attempt. He was transferred to your medical-surgical unit after being in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 2 days. According to the ICU nurse, when Mr. Gaines regained consciousness, he was angry about being rescued.
Nearly 500,000 ED admissions for suicide-related injuries are reported annually, so sooner or later you're likely to care for a patient like Mr. Gaines (see Suicide in the United States: By the numbers ). After a patient attempts suicide, hospital policy defines the nursing interventions needed. More difficult, however, is identifying suicide risk in a patient who's admitted for an illness or injury unrelated to a suicide attempt.
In this article, I'll provide an overview of suicide and suicide prevention…
