Authors: Tareq A. Al-Salamah , Mohammed AlAqeel , Yasser Alaska , Fahad Abugayan , Albaraa Alsaif , Walaa Sadeq Alkhamis , Abdullah Ahmed Aljammaz , Bader Nasser Alaiyar

Abstract

Background:

Suicidal ideation and self-harm are significant and growing worldwide health concerns, Emergency department (ED) physicians are usually the first physicians who have contact with patients with those concerns, and their attitude toward these patients play a crucial role in their outcome. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the ED physicians’ perception, empathy, and willingness toward these patients.

Methods:

An anonymous survey was sent to ED physicians (Residents, fellows and consultants) to assess their attitude toward suicidal patients using Understanding of Suicidal Patients (USP) Scale, a scale was designed to assess healthcare professionals' understanding, willingness and empathy to provide care for suicide attempters, with 11 items rated on a four-point Likert scale in which a lower score indicates greater attitude.

Results:

Overall, physicians demonstrated a positive attitude toward patients with suicidal ideation with an USP mean score of 20.67 ± 3.76. Even though it is not statistically significant, male participants had lower scores than their female counterparts, which might indicate higher empathy in male participants than female participants. Age and years of experience showed no statistically significant difference between the participants. The majority of the participants found that evaluating a patient with suicide attempt is troublesome for them, and a third of them reported that it is irritating to evaluate such patients. Overall, the results indicate a predominantly empathic and supportive approach towards suicide attempters, with only some aspects of patient assessment demonstrated as problematic.

Conclusion:

Emergency physicians in Saudi Arabia showed generally positive and empathic attitudes toward suicidal patients, with no significant differences by age or experience. Male physicians showed a non-statistically significant trend toward higher empathy. Despite this, many reported difficulty assessing suicide attempters, and about one-third reported irritation, indicating overall positive attitudes alongside persistent challenges in patient assessment.

Keywords: Suicidal ideation, emergency department, empathy, Saudi Arabia, suicide prevention.