Suicide Prevention in Primary Care

Abstract

Suicide is a complex and challenging topic to openly discuss with others, let alone discuss with healthcare providers. It is often talked about in private or not at all. Suicide is a crucial topic that is essential for healthcare providers and patients to talk through. A provider’s ability to readily identify and treat patients considering suicide is a critical skill that is often overlooked. This project aimed to improve healthcare providers’ confidence and competence to readily identify suicidal warning signs and ideations and increase the providers' knowledge on preventing their patients from self-harm. The evidence-based educational tool utilized in this project was the QPR Online Gatekeeper Training module. A logic model was used to guide the design and planning of the project, and the John Hopkins, PET Management Guide, aided the implementation and evaluation of this project. Participants completed an online educational module and a pre/post-survey. The results from the post-survey were then compared to pre-survey results to determine if the module successfully increased the knowledge regarding suicide prevention amongst HCPs that participated in the training.