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It's okay to talk: suicide awareness simulation.
Emma Claire Phillips1, Gregg Neagle1, Bethan Cameron2
1Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors, Larbert, UK.
The Clinical Teacher
|June 19, 2019
Summary
Medical students participated in a suicide prevention simulation to increase awareness. The training successfully enhanced understanding of colleague suicidality, a crucial step in preventing physician suicide.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Physicians face higher suicide risks than the general population.
- Formal suicide prevention education is lacking for medical professionals.
- This project addresses the need for enhanced suicide awareness among medical students.
Purpose of the Study:
- To increase suicide awareness in medical students.
- To utilize simulation as an educational tool for suicide prevention.
- To equip students with skills to discuss suicide with colleagues.
Main Methods:
- A simulation scenario was developed featuring a junior doctor disclosing suicidal ideation.
- Senior medical students participated in the simulation and a facilitated debriefing.
- Learning objectives and constructive alignment theory guided the scenario and debriefing design.
- Quantitative and qualitative feedback was collected from student participants.
Main Results:
- 35 students completed the simulation across six sessions.
- Participants reported the subject matter as important.
- Feedback indicated that the learning objectives were successfully met.
- The simulation fostered open discussion and reflection on suicide.
Conclusions:
- Simulation-based education can effectively increase suicide awareness among medical students.
- This initiative represents a step towards reducing suicide deaths in health professionals.
- Enhanced understanding of colleague suicidality is vital for peer support and prevention.