Suicide prevention training: self-perceived competence among primary healthcare professionals

Objective: The aim is to report the outcomes of the suicide prevention training in terms of the self-perceived impact on the participants. Design: The three-hour training consisted areas of risk and protective factors, screening and evaluating suicide risk, raising concerns and confronting suicidal patients, and treating suicidal ideation in primary healthcare and the associated referral processes. Subjects: The studied participants consisted of general practitioners, nurses, public health nurses and social work professionals. Main outcome measures: Participants assessed their own competence on online form regarding four training areas prior to and two weeks after the training. Results: The response rate was 25%. The self-perceived competence of the healthcare professionals increased in all training areas and in all occupational groups. The healthcare professionals’ competence regarding the risk and protective factors training area saw the greatest increase across all professional groups except nurses. There were, however, differences between the groups. Conclusion: KEY POINTS: After the suicide prevention training all participants self-perceived increase in their competence in all training areas. The GPs self-perceived most increase in risk and protective factors and nurses in raising concerns and confronting suicidal patients. The GPs’ lowest increase was in the area of treating suicidal ideation in primary health care and the referral processes.