Oncology nurses' teaching and support for suicidal patients

Although the nursing literature contains many references to the nurses' teaching, support, and advocacy functions, the consumer and other health care professional literature suggests that the potential importance of nurses in these roles is not widely accepted. In a secondary analysis, we examined nurses' interventions for teaching and support in survey of a random sample of oncology nurses in a national organization. Clinical oncology nurses (n = 454) reported their attitudes to and knowledge about suicidal patients. They reported their goals, interventions, and emotional support for a suicidal patient. When nurses described their care, they rarely mentioned patient teaching, emotional support, and advocacy. A gap also existed between the recommended assessments, related goals, and interventions. The nurses' difficulties in responding therapeutically to suicidal patients also emerged from their religious/other values, uncomfortable feelings, inadequate knowledge, personal experiences, and weight of professional responsibility. A small percentage of oncology nurses with good psychiatric skills reported they had no difficulty in their caregiving role including teaching, support, and advocacy.