Suicide prevention: Evidence-informed interventions for the health care workforce (American Hosptial Association, October 2022)

Summary

The workforce is healthcare’s most precious resource. Hospitals and health systems are committed to supporting mental well-being and improving access to behavioural health screenings, referrals and treatment when the workforce needs it. This new American Hosptial Association guide, Suicide Prevention: Evidence-Informed Interventions for the Health Care Workforce, identifies three drivers of suicide: stigma, limited access to behavioural health resources and treatment, and job-related stressors. The guide offers a curated list of 12 evidence-informed interventions that hospitals and health systems can implement to reduce the risk of suicide among healthcare workers.

Hospitals and health systems should choose the interventions and metrics that work for their organisation based on their own needs and available resources to customise a pathway to suicide prevention for their employees.