Nurses' experiences regarding in-patients who attempt or succeed in committing suicide in a general hospital in Gauteng, South Africa.

Abstract

The study explored the experiences of nurses regarding in-patients who attempt or succeed in committing suicide in a general hospital. The purpose of the study was to design support guidelines for the nurses who care for patients who attempt or successfully commit suicide whilst admitted at general hospital. A generic qualitative research approach was followed, using an exploratory and descriptive design. Data was collected through in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of six nurses who met the inclusion criteria. Content data analysis was done. The research findings revealed five themes. The findings indicate that the working environment was not safe for both the nurses and the patients; confused patients were unpredictable and withheld their intentions of suicide from the nurses. Nurses blamed themselves for in-patient suicide; as some are still living with feelings of guilt. Nurse unit managers provided support to the affected nurses; however debriefing sessions were not given to the affected employees. There were no clear guidelines on management of confused patients. Support guidelines for the nurses are presented in this study