OC26 - Suicide Prevention Literacy and Training

Enhancing Suicide Prevention Competencies Among Health Care Professionals: A Comprehensive Training Approach - The Polish Experience
August, 31 | 10:30 - 11:30

Introduction Enhancing healthcare professionals' competence in preventing suicidal behavior in their daily practice is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of both staff and patients. The goal is to equip healthcare workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify warning signs of a suicidal crisis and to undertake interventions based on experience, theory, and research, ultimately reducing the risk of suicide. The learning objectives are formulated as follows: 1. Understand the Importance of Suicide Prevention Training for Healthcare Professionals: Participants will learn about the critical role healthcare workers play in identifying and managing suicidal behavior, emphasizing the need for comprehensive training in suicide prevention. 2. Identify Warning Signs of Suicidal Behavior: Participants will gain knowledge on how to recognize early warning signs of a suicidal crisis and understand the importance of timely intervention to ensure patient safety. 3. Apply Evidence-Based Interventions in Clinical Practice: Participants will be equipped with the skills to implement effective suicide prevention strategies, drawing from both theoretical knowledge and practical research findings, to reduce the risk of suicide among patients. Method Accordingly, efforts were directed towards developing and effectively delivering training content that builds healthcare professionals' knowledge and strengthens their skills in the aforementioned area. In preparation for the training cycle, a questionnaire was created to assess educational needs and requirements for guidelines on dealing with individuals in a suicidal crisis encountered by healthcare professionals. This survey was made available in both online and email formats. Results The survey received feedback from 514 respondents, among whom: • 81.6% were female; • 60% of respondents were aged between 30-49 years, 22.5% were 50-59 years old, 12.8% were 19-29 years old, and the remainder were over 60 years old; • 73.2% of respondents had tertiary education and 21.5% had postgraduate education; • 65% had more than 10 years of professional experience; • The professional breakdown included 21.5% psychotherapists, 21% nurses, 15.5% psychiatric doctors, and 10.9% clinical psychologists. Conclusions The survey of educational needs was utilized to formulate the content program and logistical principles of the training cycle. Special emphasis was placed on the high content level of the workshop aspects of the training conferences, interactivity with participants in face-to-face workshops and webinars (using the Menti.com platform), and the application of European guidelines for suicide prevention education under Polish conditions.

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