Nurses’ Readiness to Manage Patients Following Suicide Attempts in Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review

Anggit Dwi Retno Murni; Shanti Wardaningsih

doi:10.56741/IISTR.jphs.002066

Authors

Anggit Dwi Retno Murni
anggit.dwi.psc24@mail.umy.ac.id
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8458-9279
Shanti Wardaningsih Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1577-5979

Keywords:

Acute Care Nursing, Hospital Settings, Nurses’ Readiness, Suicide Attempts, Suicide Prevention

Abstract

Suicide remains a major public health concern worldwide, and nurses play a critical role in managing patients following suicide attempts. Nurses’ readiness is essential to ensure patient safety and prevent recurrent suicidal behaviors. However, evidence suggests that preparedness among nurses varies widely. This systematic review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize available evidence regarding nurses’ readiness in hospital settings to manage patients following suicide attempts. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Electronic searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest databases for articles published between 2021 and 2025. Studies examining nurses’ readiness and related factors in hospital settings were included. Methodological quality was assessed using JBI critical appraisal tools. Data were synthesized narratively. A total of 103 records were identified, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies employed quantitative cross-sectional designs, while one study used a quasi-experimental approach. The findings indicated that nurses’ readiness varied considerably and was influenced by multiple factors. Higher readiness was associated with suicide prevention training, clinical experience, positive attitudes, and self-efficacy. Common barriers included high workload, lack of structured training programs, limited organizational support, and absence of clear clinical guidelines. However, the predominance of cross-sectional studies and heterogeneity of outcome measures limited quantitative comparison across studies. Nurses’ readiness to manage patients following suicide attempts remains inconsistent across hospital settings. These findings highlight the importance of implementing regular suicide prevention training programs, establishing clear clinical guidelines, and strengthening organizational support to improve nurses’ readiness in hospital settings and enhance patient safety.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Anggit Dwi Retno Murni, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta

is a master's student in the Master of Nursing Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her academic interests include psychiatric and mental health nursing, suicide prevention, nursing education, and community mental health. She is actively involved in research focusing on improving nursing competencies and mental health services through evidence-based practice. Her current research explores nurses' preparedness in suicide prevention. (email: anggit.dwi.psc24@mail.umy.ac.id).

Shanti Wardaningsih, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta

is a senior lecturer in the Nursing Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She holds a Ph.D. and specializes in psychiatric and mental health nursing, transcultural nursing, and nursing education. Her research focuses on mental health promotion, suicide prevention, culturally competent nursing care, and the development of evidence-based nursing practices. She has published extensively in national and international journals and actively supervises graduate research. (email: shanti.wardaningsih@umy.ac.id).

References

J. Pirkis, R. Dandona, M. Silverman, M. Khan, and K. Hawton, "Preventing suicide: A public health approach to a global problem," Lancet Public Health, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. e787–e795, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00149-X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00149-X

K. L. Lovero, P. F. Dos Santos, A. X. Come, M. L. Wainberg, and M. A. Oquendo, "Suicide in global mental health," Curr. Psychiatry Rep., vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 255–262, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11920-023-01423-x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01423-x

J. J. Mann, C. A. Michel, and R. P. Auerbach, "Improving suicide prevention through evidence-based strategies: A systematic review," Am. J. Psychiatry, vol. 178, no. 7, pp. 611–624, Jul. 2021, doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20060864. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20060864

P. Bertuccio et al., "Global trends in youth suicide from 1990 to 2020: An analysis of data from the WHO mortality database," eClinicalMedicine, vol. 70, Art. no. 102506, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102506

S. Werdin et al., "Mental health of individuals at increased suicide risk after hospital discharge and initial findings on the usefulness of a suicide prevention project in Central Switzerland," Front. Psychiatry, vol. 15, Art. no. 1432336, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1432336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1432336

S. O. Chitavi et al., "Evaluating the prevalence of four recommended practices for suicide prevention following hospital discharge," Jt. Comm. J. Qual. Patient Saf., vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 393–403, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2024.02.007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2024.02.007

P. V. Vaghela, S. Shah, N. D. Desai, and S. H. Shah, "Knowledge, attitude, and practice of nursing staff toward patients who attempted suicide at tertiary care hospital of Central Gujarat, India," Indian J. Psychol. Med., Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1177/02537176241273710. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241273710

L. Yue, R. Zhao, Y. Zhuo, X. Kou, and J. Yu, "Experiences and attitudes of psychiatric nurses in caring for patients with repeated non-suicidal self-injury in China: A qualitative study," BMC Psychiatry, vol. 24, no. 1, Art. no. 629, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06064-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06064-9

S. Hultsjö, H. Jormfeldt, E. Allstrin, and A. Karlsson, "Outpatient mental health nurses' experiences of suicide follow-up interventions: A qualitative interview study," J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs., vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 740–750, Jun. 2025, doi: 10.1111/jpm.13150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13150

L. Aziato, J. B. P. Pwavra, Y. Paarima, and K. D. Konlan, "The nurse or midwife at the crossroads of caring for patients with suicidal and rigid religious ideations in Africa," Front. Psychol., vol. 12, Art. no. 549766, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.549766. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.549766

D. E. Stubbe, "When prevention is not enough: The importance of postvention after patient suicide," Focus, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 168–172, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20230003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20230003

Y. Sela and Y. Levi-Belz, "Nurses' attitudes and perceptions regarding suicidal patients: A quasi-experimental study of depression management training," Healthcare, vol. 12, no. 3, Art. no. 284, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.3390/healthcare12030284. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12030284

A. Sterner, A. Eklund, and M. S. Nilsson, "Prepared to learn but unprepared for work: A cross-sectional survey study exploring the preparedness, challenges, and needs of newly graduated nurses entering a hospital-based transition program," Nurse Educ. Pract., vol. 72, Art. no. 103782, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103782. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103782

S. Gautam, A. Poudel, K. Paudyal, and M. M. Prajapati, "Transition to professional practice: Perspectives of new nursing graduates of Nepal," BMC Nurs., vol. 22, no. 1, Art. no. 273, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.1186/s12912-023-01418-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01418-2

K. D. Konlan, D. Damiran, and T. W. Lee, "Clinical readiness for practice of nursing students: A concept analysis," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 21, no. 12, Art. no. 1610, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121610

H. Jerpseth and K. T. Jensen, "Newly graduated nurses' experiences regarding job readiness and their development of professional authority: A qualitative study," SAGE Open Nurs., vol. 11, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1177/23779608251330041. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251330041

L. Chen, Q. Lin, Y. Xu, and L. Wu, "Nursing students' work readiness and its influencing factors before participating in a nurse residency program: A multicenter cross-sectional study," Front. Med., vol. 11, Art. no. 1391907, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1391907. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1391907

N. A. Lahti, C. Kevin, S. Schulz, K. Meijers, and G. G. Bothma, "The development of the Innovation Readiness Inventory: An assessment tool to assess innovation readiness of nursing organizations," SAGE Open Nurs., vol. 9, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1177/23779608231202631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608231202631

E. B. Dela Fuente and R. Alibudbud, "Insights on suicide postvention for healthcare institutions in the Philippines: A health systems framework approach," Front. Psychol., vol. 16, Art. no. 1735407, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1735407. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1735407

A. L. Morena, L. M. Gaias, C. Larkin, Y. Wang, C. Kiefe, and E. D. Boudreaux, "Clinician profiles of suicide prevention attitudes and confidence and their association with reported suicide prevention practices," Psychological Services, 2025. DOI: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/ser0000981 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000981

M. J. Bahamón, J. J. Javela, A. Ortega Bechara, A. Cabezas-Corcione, and L. Cudris-Torres, "Attitudinal beliefs about suicidal behavior and attitudes towards suicide attempts in Colombian healthcare professionals," Healthcare, vol. 12, no. 21, Art. no. 2169, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.3390/healthcare12212169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212169

S. Aljedaani and M. El-Bilsha, "Barriers and facilitators affecting nurses' ability to assess and prevent suicide in general hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study," Belitung Nurs. J., vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 692–702, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.33546/bnj.4124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.4124

M. Imani, N. Ramazanzadeh, M. Ghadermazi, and M. Aghamohammadi, "Investigating the relationship between attitudes towards suicidal patients and the caring behavior of emergency and intensive care nurses: A descriptive-analytical study," BMC Nurs., vol. 24, no. 1, Art. no. 1408, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-04032-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-04032-6

J. Zhu et al., "The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses at general hospitals in Guangdong Province regarding suicide prevention for inpatients and its influencing factors," BMC Nurs., vol. 24, no. 1, Art. no. 695, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03335-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03335-y

R. Jandial, K. Subramanian, S. Kumar, E. Subramanian, and S. Balasundaram, "Literacy and attitude toward suicide among doctors and nurses: A cross-sectional comparative study," Cureus, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.7759/cureus.64032. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.64032

T. Kashiwagi, K. Narita, Y. Tsuyama, N. Yonemoto, R. Ishibashi, and C. Kawanishi, "Attitudes of medical professionals towards high-risk suicidal patients," Front. Psychiatry, vol. 16, Art. no. 1654240, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1654240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1654240