Characteristics analysis and management countermeasures of 33 general hospital inpatients who attempted suicide

Objective To explore the characteristics of inpatients who attempted suicide and to propose targeted management strategies to prevent inpatients from committing suicide once again. Methods The data of 33 inpatients who attempted suicide between January 2008 and January 2018 from a Class Ⅲ Grade A hospital. Chief nurses, nurses-in-charge and bedside doctors associated with attempted suicide were interviewed to fully understand the conditions of patients who attempted suicide and to propose corresponding management and improvement protocols. Results There were 19 (57.58%) females and 16 (48.48%) middle-aged patients in the patients who attempted suicide. Totally 20 of them (60.61%) committed suicide between 10: 00 pm and 6: 00 am. 14 of them (42.42%) committed suicide cutting wrists. 8 of them (24.24%) were from the department of oncology. Conclusions Inpatients' attempted suicide has become a severe issue that cannot be ignored and should draw the attention of medical and nursing workers. We should formulate more standardized management strategies to preventing the inpatients who attempted suicide from committing suicide once again and reduce the incidence of suicide among inpatients. Key words: Attempted suicide; Hospitalization; Characteristics; Management; Countermeasures