P102: What are Canadian emergency physicians’ attitudes toward, understanding of, and willingness to treat patients who have attempted suicide?

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Canada, and a common reason for patients to present to Canadian emergency departments (ED). Little knowledge exists around Canadian emergency physicians (EPs) attitudes toward and understanding of individuals who have attempted suicide. Methods: We developed a web-based survey on attitudes around suicide, which was pilot tested by two EPs and one psychiatrist for clarity and content. The survey was distributed via email to attending physician members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. Data were described using counts, means, medians and interquartile ranges. We used the Understanding of Suicidal Patients (USP) Scale, an 11-point questionnaire utilized in previous studies to assess healthcare providers’ attitudes toward individuals who have attempted suicide. Each question was graded as a five-point Likert, with a score of 1 indicating complete agreement and a 5 indicating complete disagreement. A total USP score is calculated by adding together the score from each question and ranges from 11 to 55; a lower score indicates greater empathy and understanding of individuals who have attempted suicide. Results: 193 EPs responded to the survey, with 42% of EPs practicing in Ontario. 35% of EPs were female, the mean age was 48 (95% CI 47.3-48.7), and mean years in practice was 17 (95% CI 16.3-17.7). Academic practice location was reported by 55% of EPs, and 81% reported access to an inpatient psychiatry service. The mean USP score was 21.8 (95% CI 21.1-22.5) with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.75, the median was 22 [IQR 14-29]. The item that had most agreement from EPs was “I would like to help a person who has attempted suicide” (1.58, 95% CI 1.50-1.67), while the item that had the least agreement was “patients who have attempted suicide are usually treated well in my work unit” (2.54, 95% CI 2.40-2.69). Conclusion: Canadian EPs have a generally positive attitude toward treating individuals who have attempted suicide. EPs scored highly on a scale that measured willingness to provide care for and empathize with suicidal patients, yet identified that overall care for these patients could be improved.