Year: 2016 Source: Depression and Anxiety.(2013).30(10):1013Ð1020.DOI:10.1002/da.22075 SIEC No: 20160158

We sought to examine the beliefs and behaviors of emergency department (ED) providers related to preventing suicide by reducing suicidal patientsÕ access to lethal methods (means restriction) and identify characteristics associated with asking patients about firearm access. Physicians and nurses at eight EDs completed a confidential, voluntary survey. The response rate was 79% (n = 631); 57% of respondents were females and 49% were nurses. Less than half believed, ÒmostÓ or ÒallÓ suicides are preventable. More nurses (67%) than physicians (44%) thought ÒmostÓ or ÒallÓ firearm suicide decedents would have died by another method had a firearm been unavailable (P < .001). The proportion of providers who reported they Òalmost alwaysÓ ask suicidal patients about firearm access varied across five patient scenarios: suicidal with firearm suicide plan (64%), suicidal with no suicide plan (22%), suicidal with nonfirearm plan (21%), suicidal in past month but not today (16%), and overdosed but no longer suicidal (9%). In multivariable logistic regression, physicians were more likely than nurses to Òalmost alwaysÓ or ÒoftenÓ ask about a firearm across all five scenarios, as were older providers and those who believed their own provider type was responsible for assessing firearm access. Many ED providers are skeptical about the preventability of suicide and the effectiveness of means restriction, and most do not assess suicidal patientsÕ firearm access except when a patient has a firearm suicide plan. These findings suggest the need for targeted staff education concerning means restriction for suicide prevention.

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