Evaluation of a suicide loss support training program for organ procurement personnel

Objective To evaluate the impact of a 6-h traumatic loss training program on organ procurement personnel attitudes, confidence, and knowledge about suicide loss and best practices in supporting survivors. Organ procurement personnel may be uniquely positioned to deliver supportive programming as they have early access to suicide loss survivors (i.e., within hours or days of a loss) and are trained in a variety of backgrounds that include skills in supportive service delivery (i.e., nursing and social work). Method Sixty-four personnel participated in the 6-h Traumatic Loss Support Program (TLSP) training and completed measures of attitudes, confidence, and knowledge about supporting suicide loss survivors prior to and following the training. Results Ratings of the usefulness of the training were high and mean scores on all measures of attitudes, confidence, and knowledge increased with moderate to large effect sizes. Conclusions Results of the current study demonstrate that the TLSP training may be an effective way of increasing suicide loss supportive services provided by organ procurement personnel; however, further research is needed to determine the extent to which these interactions influence the bereavement of those who have lost loved ones to suicide and the fidelity in which the TLSP is implemented.