Moving toward standardized surveillance of “nurse” suicide mortality

Background

The National Academies, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP), and National Strategy for Suicide Prevention disseminated recommendations for improving the quality, scope, usefulness, timeliness, and accessibility of mortality data and are working to advance research in this area. Further, the NAASP issued recommendations for developing standard definitions, use of common data elements, and processes for connecting data elements with similar measures. The NAASP additionally reinforced the importance of linking data sources.

Purpose

Examine surveillance of nurse suicide in the United States.

Methods

The literature was searched to identify studies that examined suicide among nurses using national data.

Discussion

Across studies that examined nurse suicide using national data, there was variability in methods, nursing definitions and age criteria, and limited data on sex differences, race and ethnicity, and state details. There was also variability with respect to denominators used in suicide rate calculations. Cross-study comparison and synthesis is sometimes challenging given this variability.

Conclusion

To examine additional associations between risk/protective factors and nurse suicide, to monitor nurse suicide incidence and trends, and to evaluate the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing nurse suicide, it is important to move toward a standard evaluative approach that considers both mortality data and research initiatives. Standardization and data linking recommendations from the NAASP are particularly relevant to studies that examine nurse suicide. Taken together, leadership and advocacy are needed in these areas, both within the nursing profession and more broadly across the United States.