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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

SO131

Patient suicides in Swedish psychiatric inpatient units: a retrospective exploratory study from a nursing perspective

INPATIENT SUICIDES IN SWEDISH PSYCHIATRIC SETTINGS – A RETROSPECTIVE EXPLORATORY STUDY FROM A NURSING PERSPECTIVE.

Suicides among patients in psychiatric inpatient units occurred predominantly early in admission, and no patient was under continuous one-to-one observation.

The aim was to retrospectively identify documentation of suicide risk, safety measures, and differences between patients with and without a history of suicide attempts among those who died by suicide during psychiatric inpatient treatment. The study was part of a national retrospective project covering the medical records of all patients who died by suicide in 2015 for the two years preceding their deaths. Records were reviewed using a predefined review protocol, and 41 patients who died by suicide during psychiatric inpatient treatment were identified. The findings showed that 80% of patients had documentation of suicide-related variables, 63% had a mood disorder, and 59% had a known history of suicide attempts, while only 32% had a documented structured suicide risk assessment; the abstract reports that suicide risk was assessed as high in 41% of patients. The most common method was hanging or suffocation (68%). Most suicides occurred early in admission: 22% within the first 24 hours and 51% within the first week. Of the patients, 71% were receiving voluntary treatment and 29% compulsory treatment; 44% of suicides occurred on the ward and 56% off the ward. Regarding observation levels, no patient was under continuous one-to-one observation by a healthcare professional, 17% were receiving intermittent checks at 15-minute intervals, and 32% were on agreed leave at the time of suicide. In conclusion, the potentially life-saving role of increased observation early in admission is emphasized, particularly for patients with documented previous suicide attempts or depressive symptoms.

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