Increasing Resident Support Following Patient Suicide: Assessing Resident Perceptions of a Longitudinal, Multimodal Patient Suicide Curriculum

Objective Patient suicide is a common experience in psychiatry residency, and its effects on trainees can be profound. There are currently no ACGME Common Program Requirements for education about patient suicide, and a need exists for evidence-based curricula to prepare residents for this difficult outcome. Methods A comprehensive patient suicide curriculum was developed utilizing multiple modes of delivering content, including a training designed to foster built-in support among peers in the healthcare workplace. The content was delivered at intervals over the course of the 2019-2020 academic year for 43 psychiatry residents at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Pre- and post-curriculum surveys were obtained to assess the resident experience of the new curriculum. Results Twenty-seven residents completed the pre-curriculum survey and 25 completed the post-curriculum survey. Results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in ratings of preparedness to deal with the loss of a patient by suicide, preparedness to support a co-resident who has experienced the death of a patient by suicide, program-level support for residents, understanding systems-level and quality processes, and knowledge of what steps to take if finding out a patient has completed suicide. Conclusions A multimodal approach incorporating understanding emotional reactions, provision of support, delineation of procedural issues, and education regarding quality and risk management considerations was effective at improving resident preparedness to cope following a patient suicide.