Interventions aimed at preventing suicide in the healthcare workforce: a systematic review.

Abstract

Healthcare workers are exposed to various factors in the workplace that may put them at an increased risk of suicide, but there is a lack of evidence reviewing interventions put in place by employers that may modify this risk. The authors undertook a systematic review to identify and assess organisational interventions aimed at preventing suicide in the healthcare workforce. Databases were systematically searched between January 2022 and August 2022. Eligibility for inclusion in the review was determined using a population, intervention, comparison, outcome framework, and 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies were summarised using narrative synthesis and interventions included education, screening, modification of the workplace, referrals for support and/or therapy and peer support. Outcomes included: uptake, satisfaction, pre-training and post-training knowledge, symptoms, risk of suicide and economic costs. It was identified that various suicide prevention interventions are feasible in healthcare organisations and likely to have positive effects for staff. However, there is a lack of robust evaluation of these interventions, so further research is warranted.