Increasing Suicide Awareness in Nurse Anesthesiology

Abstract

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aims to increase suicide and gatekeeper awareness among the University of Arizona nurse anesthesiology program clinical site coordinators through an educational presentation. Community-based gatekeeper training is one of the most widely used suicide prevention strategies, educating laypersons on how to recognize, approach, and support a person at risk of suicide. Background: Anesthesia providers have a greater risk of suicide than any other healthcare specialty, with certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and resident registered nurse anesthetists (RRNAs) being significantly impacted. For example, 41.7% of RRNAs have reported symptoms of depression, and 21.2% reported suicidal ideation during their anesthesia education. Methods: This educational intervention quality improvement (QI) project aims to increase suicide awareness among the nurse anesthesiology clinical coordinators of the University of Arizona. The volunteer participants will be sent a previously recorded educational session and an accompanying PowerPoint via email. After viewing the educational session, participants will access the link embedded in the email to direct them to an anonymous retrospective pretest assessment survey. Results: Nine clinical coordinators participated in this QI project. A statistically significant improvement was seen overall and across all three survey subscales based on the Gatekeeper Behavior Scale. Also, all participants had found the educational intervention to be useful. Conclusions: Nurse anesthesiology clinical coordinator gatekeeper training effectively provides knowledge about RRNA suicide risks and warning signs, increases suicide prevention skills, and improves self-efficacy. The relevance of this topic continues to emerge with the untoward effects of COVID-19 and the addition of the practice doctorate in nurse anesthesiology education.