Health-Care Workers’ Perception of Patients’ Suicide Intention and Factors Leading to It

A Qualitative Study

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13629508
AutoresLei-Hum Wee (National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Norhayati Ibrahim (0000-0003-1565-7470, National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, autor de correspondencia), Suzaily Wahab (0000-0003-3815-4489, National University of Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Uma Visvalingam (Putrajaya Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Malaysia), Seen Heng Yeoh (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia), Ching Sin Siau (0000-0001-7612-6839, National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Año2018
Volumen82
Número2
Páginas323-345
Fecha de publicación2018-11-27
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0030222818814331
PMID30482086
OpenAlexW2903154062
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas44

This study explored health-care workers' perception of patients' suicide intention and their understanding of factors leading to particular interpretations. Semistructured face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 health-care workers from a general hospital in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis. The health-care workers were found to have four types of perceptions: to end life, not to end life, ambivalence about intention, and an evolving understanding of intention. Factors leading to their perceptions of patients' suicide intention were patient demographics, health status, severity of ideation/attempt, suicide method, history of treatment, moral character, communication of suicide intention, affective/cognitive status, availability of social support, and health-care workers' limited knowledge of patients' condition/situation. Insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes toward suicidal patients led to risk minimization and empathic failure, although most health-care workers used the correct parameters in determining suicide intention

Ambivalence · Health care · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Medical emergency · Perception · Poison control · Qualitative research · Suicidal ideation · Suicide prevention · Clinical Psychology · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies