[Development and Evaluation of Suicide Prevention Nursing Competency Programs for Visiting Nurses].

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health
• Mental Health Interventions

Background:

• Visiting nurses play a crucial role in community mental health.
• There is a need for specialized training to enhance nurses' suicide prevention capabilities.
• Existing suicide prevention programs may not adequately address the unique needs of visiting nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive suicide prevention nursing competency program tailored for visiting nurses.
• To evaluate the program's impact on suicide prevention knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
• To assess the long-term effectiveness of the training.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed with 66 visiting nurses from 10 public health centers.
• Participants were allocated to either an experimental or control group.
• The experimental group received a 3-week suicide prevention nursing competency program; data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• The suicide prevention nursing competency program led to significant improvements in nurses' knowledge and behaviors.
• Statistically significant differences were observed in attitudes and behaviors between the experimental and control groups.
• The positive effects on attitudes and behaviors were sustained at the 1-month follow-up, indicating program efficacy.

Conclusions:

• The developed suicide prevention nursing competency program is effective for enhancing visiting nurses' skills.
• Evidence-based education through this program improves suicide prevention knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
• The program offers a valuable, sustainable approach to strengthening suicide prevention efforts in community nursing.