Critical incidents: prevention and post-vention

It is important to gain better understanding of suicide-related training, given its potentials in contributing to national aims of reducing suicide mortality. This paper aims to critically appraise existing literature to examine the effectiveness of suicide-related training offered to healthcare workers in pre-qualification training (HCWs-PT). A systematic literature search was conducted across four electronic databases, MEDLINE, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, and
PTSDpubs, using four search criteria linked with Boolean AND. Fourteen papers meeting inclusion criteria for the review were identified. Study findings were grouped by themes, which is informed by training outcomes measured in studies, and examined: knowledge, skills, application of skills, self-efficacy, preparedness to cope following patient suicide, and
training experience. While no conclusion could be drawn due to the lack of homogeneity of papers, this review adds to an existing systematic review of suicide-related training delivered to nursing students, and preliminarily suggests that suicide-related training may support the development of competence for HCWs-PT across various disciplines. Methodological limitations of the current literature, and implications for practice and future research are
discussed.