Learning from clinicians’ views of good quality practice in mental healthcare services in the context of suicide prevention: a qualitative study (2019)

Summary

Suicide and non-fatal self-harm represent key patient safety events in mental healthcare services. However, examples of optimal practice that help to keep patients safe also often important learning for organisations and healthcare professionals. This study in BMC Psychiatry aimed to explore clinicians’ views of what constitutes good practice in mental healthcare services in the context of suicide prevention.

The study highlighted clinicians’ views on good practice specific to mental health services that focus on enhancing patient safety via prevention of self-harm and suicide. The authors concluded that clinicians possess important understanding of optimal practice, but there are few opportunities to share such insight on a broader scale. A further challenge is to implement optimal practice into routine, daily care to improve patient safety and reduce suicide risk.