The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on risk factors for suicide in healthcare workers: A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, over 700,000 people die by suicide each year. Healthcare workers are more vulnerable to suicide risk factors than the general population. The global COVID-19 pandemic presents additional workplace and health concerns that relate to suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. It is important to recognise suicide risk factors in healthcare workers and to implement strategies to reduce these risk factors. OBJECTIVES: This study describes the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on risk factors for suicide in healthcare workers and identifies evidence-based strategies and resources to reduce suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. DESIGN: The authors conducted a thematic analysis and narrative review of the literature. METHODS: Using health science databases, the authors searched the literature, selected and analyzed studies, identified themes, synthesised findings and created a narrative review. The STROBE checklist was used in this study. RESULTS: Two themes were identified (1) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work-related suicide risk factors in healthcare workers; (2) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health-related suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. The pandemic has affected suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. Many studies discussed evidence-based strategies and resources that can be used to reduce suicide risk factors. CONCLUSION: The global COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted suicide risk factors in healthcare workers. It is time for individuals and healthcare delivery systems to implement suicide risk prevention strategies to protect healthcare workers now and in the future. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This review increases awareness of the pandemic's impact on healthcare workers' risk factors for suicide and identifies evidence-based suicide risk prevention strategies and resources for healthcare workers. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Library services supported this research by generating search strategies and providing resources and tools.

A Comparison of Virtual Reality and Traditional Audio-Recorded Hearing Voices Simulations: Their Impact on Empathy in Health Care Students.

ABSTRACT: Empathy is essential to the development of communication skills. Simulating psychosis to develop empathy for mental health patients is complex; we hypothesized that virtual reality (VR) would be effective in increasing empathy in health care students. This experimental study compared the effectiveness of a VR simulation with a traditional hearing voices simulation as measured by the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale-Revised. Twenty-five health care students were randomized into two groups. The results indicated that both simulated experiences increased empathy levels, supporting the study's hypothesis. A 10-minute VR simulation is an effective teaching strategy for developing empathy in health care students.

Relationship between anxiety and quality of life among older adults with self-reported polypharmacy in long-term care: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between anxiety and quality of life among older adults with self-reported polypharmacy living in the long-term care setting. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: Between July 2021 and August 2022, 92 older adults living in long-term care completed an anonymous one-time questionnaire packet. Polypharmacy was measured as self-reported five or more medications daily. Anxiety was measured using the Geriatric Anxiety Scale-Long Term Care tool. Quality of life was measured as health-related quality of life using two global questions from the RAND-36 and as medication-related quality of life using the Medication-Related Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of polypharmacy was 89%. Among participants with polypharmacy, average age was 80.1 ± 7.9 years. The majority were female (70%) and white (85%). There was a moderate-to-strong correlation between anxiety and quality of life. Specifically, anxiety was negatively related to current health-related quality of life, perceived change in health-related quality of life and medication-related quality of life. Overall, anxiety explained 27-31% of the variance in both health-related and medication-related quality of life. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that as anxiety increases, health-related and medication-related quality of life decreases in older adults living in long-term care who report consuming five or more medications daily. Advanced practice nurses can use these findings to guide practice, tailor interventions and improve care for these long-term care residents. IMPLICATIONS: Multiple medications are increasingly prescribed to treat multiple comorbidities in older adults. As a result, the prevalence of polypharmacy (≥5 medications per day) is rising and problematic. The main findings of this study highlight the negative relationship between anxiety and quality of life in this population and the need for adequate assessment of anxiety by advanced practice nurses in order to personalize care. REPORTING METHOD: In preparing the manuscript, the authors have adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines and the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution outside of participation in the actual study for purposes of data collection.

The Experiences of Nursing Students While Caring for Patients at Risk for Suicide: A Descriptive Phenomenology.

ABSTRACT: Nurses have many opportunities to screen patients and intervene to prevent patient suicide. This study used Moustakas' transcendental descriptive phenomenology method to generate a description of the experiences of student nurses while caring for patients at risk for suicide. Fourteen bachelor of science in nursing graduates with experience in caring for suicidal patients were recruited from two universities and interviewed once. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed, and five themes were identified. In nursing education, greater and earlier emphasis on suicide prevention and crisis intervention may help prepare nurses for their vital role. These findings have implications for nursing education, nursing practice, and patient health outcomes.