Primary care providers' views regarding assessing and treating suicidal patients

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry
• Primary Care

Background:

• Primary care providers (PCPs) often do not assess patient suicidality during routine visits.
• Understanding factors influencing PCP attitudes toward suicide assessment and treatment is crucial for improving care.
• Existing training and support systems may not adequately prepare PCPs for managing suicidal patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of primary care providers' attitudes towards assessing and treating patient suicidality.
• To explore the role of perceived competence, training, gender, and access to mental health consultation.
• To inform strategies for enhancing PCP preparedness in managing suicidal patients.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 195 practicing PCPs affiliated with U.S. medical schools.
• Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression to identify significant predictors.
• Key variables included perceived competency, training, gender, and access to mental health consultation.

Main Results:

• PCPs perceiving higher competence were more willing to assess and treat suicidality.
• Perceived competence fully mediated the relationship between training and willingness to treat.
• Female PCPs reported lower self-perceived competence compared to males.
• Access to in-office mental health consultation increased perceived competence.
• Training, gender, and valuation of mental health consultation interacted to predict perceived competency.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing PCPs' perceived competence in suicide risk assessment is vital for increasing their willingness to treat.
• Medical training should prioritize developing robust risk assessment skills for PCPs.
• Addressing gender-based disparities in confidence and improving access to mental health support are important considerations.