Suicide training ‘a must’ for A&E staff

ALL nurses in accident and emergency departments should get suicide awareness and skills training, as well as help in identifying suicidal behaviour, a new report recommends.

The report was based on a study of Wexford General Hospital by the Health Service Executive and the National Suicide Research Foundation. The study was conducted over a nine- month period, from September 2004 to May 2005, and focused on 193 people who attended the A&E department after deliberately harming themselves.

Nursing staff of the hospital’s A&E department also took part in the study.