Introduction
It is noted that suicide can occur due to a chaotic environment, high workload, confirmation of the diagnosis, and lack of care. The hypothesis is that patient or staff suicide has a high chance of occurring in the emergency department, and effective measures must be taken to prevent such cases. Below are some research questions that will be useful in the data collection. For example, whether or not the staff encounter stress linked to their roles in the emergency department or explore what drives their motivation. Others that target the patient aim to establish if they are content with the degree of care they received in the emergency department and if stress affects them in an emergency care unit.
Significance to Nursing
Suicide is one of the most common causes of death in the United States. Therefore, it is a global problem that requires special attention. The research problem is relevant since the topic of suicide is extremely important.
Protecting patients and doctors should also be a main task (Stehman et al., 2019). Suicide is a major health concern in the United States, being among the top 10 leading causes of death. According to research, those who visit emergency departments (EDs) exhibit indications of intentional self-harm and have the highest suicide rates. Numerous studies provide in-depth information on the elements that contribute to the elevated suicide-risk factors in EDs. Healthcare staff and patients who have visited EDs have a high suicidal behavior – a phenomenon that is both intricate and influenced by multiple factors.
Literature Review
Medical staff and patients in emergency departments have a high rate of suicidal behavior. This is associated with a complex and multifactorial phenomenon. A study by Canner et al. (2018) attempts to recognize the causes of the high number of suicide attempts.
The aim is to find and propose preventive solutions. Young people aged 15–19 were the most affected by age demographics, while women were the most affected by gender. Every research has identified the high risks of increased tendency to commit suicide (Costanza et al., 2020). For patients, the risks may be associated with stress and adverse news or a severe course of illness, as suggested by Dimeff et al. (2020) and DeLucia et al. (2019). The risk of suicide in doctors increases due to high workload, high responsibility, stress, and reduced motivation (Harvey et al., 2019). The problem requires immediate intervention and the development of a concept for patient and medical staff protection.
Methodology
Sample Procedures
The study’s primary variable is how satisfied patients and employees are in the emergency room. The level of satisfaction is planned to be measured in correlation with the stress experienced. The sample will consist of long-term working doctors and patients at risk.
The risk group includes young people under 30 years and elderly patients with concomitant diseases that can have a depressing effect on their psychological state. The sample should be at least 10 people for each category, 20 patients and doctors, respectively. Tests for physicians and patients should differ significantly while maintaining a common focus.
Data Collection
The data collection method is a questionnaire survey of patients and professionals in the emergency department. Additional psychological testing, such as the Beck Depression Scale, is suggested. The scale determines whether there are suicidal risks associated with depression.
Psychological testing will be preceded by a questionnaire survey. In an emergency room, distinct questionnaires will be used for patients and doctors. It is suggested that the list of inquiries for physicians consist of:
- Do you find that working in the emergency room causes you stress?
- What motivates you to continue working?
Questions for the patients are proposed to be slightly different:
- Are you happy with the kind of care you received in the emergency room?
- Does going in an emergency department cause you stress?
Data Analysis
Quantitative data analysis refers to evaluating information that is based on numbers. This is data that can be converted into numbers without loss of meaning. In this case, the interpretation has been given in the qualitative response.
For instance, it is expected that patients and doctors will answer questions about what causes stress in the emergency department. The primary causes of suicide risk will be determined in this manner. The result of psychological testing will be obtained in quantitative terms; it will be possible to identify the average risk of depression among both patients and doctors.
Ethical Considerations
Research should aim to obtain relevant results and ensure the safety of research participants. Therefore, before questioning and psychological testing, it is necessary to fully identify the risks of participating in the study. Participants should be clearly explained that testing may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior.
To comply with ethical standards, it is necessary to ensure the complete anonymity of participants. Participants will feel more secure and be more forthcoming with personal inquiries if they remain anonymous. The research’s findings must only be applied for the community’s benefit and for medical objectives. Another consideration is informed consent, which is obtained immediately before any activity. It should reflect the items contained in the participant information that are important to investigators.
Conclusion
Suicidal behavior among patients and physicians is a serious problem requiring intervention. To address this, a study based on a survey of those involved in emergency departments’ functioning is proposed. The questionnaire will be aimed at identifying common suicidal risks, as well as the reasons that may cause such thoughts and actions. Participants in the trial will complete the Beck Depression Scale, which will yield a quantifiable result for more pertinent study findings.
A plan is required to deal with this issue after the true degree of suicide risk and potential contributing factors have been determined. Lastly, it is important for researchers to consider ethics in their studies. For instance, ensuring that anonymity is maintained is essential as it allows the participant to feel safe about providing the needed information. Additionally, informed consent can be sought to guarantee that everyone participating is comfortable with the procedure.
References
DeLucia, J. A., Bitter, C., Fitzgerald, J., Greenberg, M., Dalwari, P., & Buchanan, P. (2019). Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in emergency physicians in the United States. Western journal of emergency medicine, 20(5), 740. Web.
Dimeff, L. A., Jobes, D. A., Chalker, S. A., Piehl, B. M., Duvivier, L. L., Lok, B. C., & Koerner, K. (2020). A novel engagement of suicidality in the emergency department: Virtual Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality. General hospital psychiatry, 63, 119-126.
Harvey, S. B., Epstein, R. M., Glozier, N., Petrie, K., Strudwick, J., Gayed, A., Dean, K. & Henderson, M. (2021). Mental illness and suicide among physicians. The Lancet, 398(10303), 920-930. Web.
Stehman, C. R., Testo, Z., Gershaw, R. S., & Kellogg, A. R. (2019). Burnout, drop out, suicide: physician loss in emergency medicine, part I. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 20(3), 485. Web.
