NURSES ATTITUDES TO ATTEMPTED-SUICIDE PATIENTS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes towards att empted suicide patients among registered nurses involved in the somati c care of such patients, and to compare them with those of psychiatric nurses. The attitudes were measured on a neu lv constructed scale, th e Understanding of Suicide Attempt Patients Scale (USP-Scale), and thr ee brief clinical vignettes with the answer format of a visual analogu e scale (VAS). The nurses working within the psychiatric services were more understanding and more willing to nurse suicide attempt patients than nurses in somatic disciplines. Among all the nurses, older perso nnel were more favourably disposed than the younger, and more frequent contact with suicide-prone patients was related to more positive atti tudes. The perceived need for further training in suicidology was sign ificantly stronger among the nurses in the general hospitals. This sug gests that their 'negative attitudes' may to some extent be a result o f lack of knowledge and uncertainty rather than a hostile attitude. Th e nurse has a responsibility to create a positive climate in the patie nt's encounter with the health services. Knowledge and understanding a re needed to enable the nurse to provide professional care for a diffi cult and challenging patient group.