Abstract
Suicide in late life (65 and older) is on the rise, yet this tragedy is not well understood. Most people who die by suicide have had contact with their primary care health setting in the year before their death. Only about half of primary care physicians report screening most or all of their patients for suicide. Considering barriers like time and resources, the collaborative care model is needed to better respond to this issue in primary care settings. Past research of late-life suicide risk practices in primary care settings has been isolated by discipline (e.g., only doctors or only nurses), offering little insight into aspects of collaboration involved with suicide risk assessment. In fall 2023, a qualitative, exploratory case study of one site that practices both collaborative and primary care was assessed via on-site observations, in-depth interviews, and collection of documents to provide a rich, thick description of their approach to late-life suicide risk assessment. Findings reveal that staff find skills for connecting with patients and team members to be important for suicide prevention, and missed connection brings subsequent challenges.
Presenters
Elizabeth Zimmerman ClaytonAssistant Professor, Social Work, Carlow University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
KEYWORDS
Late life suicide prevention, Family medicine, Primary care, Interprofessional collaboration
