Date of this Version
11-2024
Document Type
DNP Project
Abstract
Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death among all age groups in the United States. Screening can help healthcare providers identify those at risk for suicidal behavior, facilitating early intervention to prevent intentional death. Despite the availability of reliable screening tools and evidence-based practice recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force for routine suicide screening, primary care providers (PCPs) face challenges implementing the suicide risk assessments during clinical encounters. Clinical and knowledge gaps surrounding suicide prevention, screening, and management could contribute to the problem. Education on suicide prevention and the significant role of suicide screening among PCPs may reduce alarming suicide rates and improve mental health outcomes. The purpose of this project was to improve the knowledge of PCPs in an outpatient clinic in Miami, Florida, about the importance of suicide prevention and screening using the Suicide Risk Screening Tool developed by NIMH. This project aimed to increase suicide screening among PCPs using the Suicide Risk Screening Tool in patients at risk for suicide. A cross-sectional pre- and post-test study design was chosen to achieve this aim. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling, and five participants (N=5) from an outpatient clinic in Miami, Florida, were included in the study. A pre-test was provided to the providers, then an educational intervention was delivered remotely, and the post- test was provided to the providers. The results of the paired t-test showed that there was a significant statistical difference between the pre-test (M = 3.066, SD = 0.447) and post-test scores (M = 4.8, SD = 0.447), t(4)=6.2, p=0.0001 (p<0.01). These results are consistent with the literature indicating the importance of quality improvement projects in decreasing knowledge deficis among healthcare professionals. Primary healthcare providers should receive training in suicide prevention and screening to help improve safety and quality of care for patients.
Recommended Citation
"Suicide Prevention and Screening Using the Suicide Risk Screening Tool Developed by National Institute of Mental Health in a Primary Care Clinic in Miami, Florida: A Quality Improvement Project" (2024). Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing Student Projects. 333.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cnhs-studentprojects/333
