Are No-Suicide Contracts Effective in Nursing Practice - Essay Example

1. What are your personal thoughts in regards to utilizing No-Suicide contracts in nursing practice? I think no-suicide contracts should not be used in the nursing practice. No suicide contracts only provide a false sense of security as they have no real means of preventing suicide. 2. Please list and describe at least 3 ways in which No-Suicide contracts may be beneficial in the process of through patient assessment secondary to suicidal risk. Please provide a rationale for your answers.The no-suicidal act is important in reducing the possibility of suicide in patients that share a close relationship with their nurses.

Psychologists state that these patients may feel some need to uphold the contract on behalf of the nurses even they have less regard for their own life.The act also provides a patient with the mindset that it is not ok to be suicidal. There are different thoughts in a patient’s head and psychologically the act provides the patient with a different mindset. In a sense, it assists in the fuelling positive thoughts in a patient. The no-suicide act also provides patients with a means of attaining assistance.

Many patients suffer from severe emotional stress and they are unsure of what to do with their lives. The act provides the patients with reasonable steps they can take when they begin to feel suicidal. 3. Please list and describe at least 3 disadvantages associated with the use of No-Suicide Contracts in nursing practice. Provide a rationale for each of your answers.As mentioned above, there is no concrete information that shows that there is a reduction in suicide rates due to the use of the act.

The use of the suicide act hinders different interventions as much faith may be placed on this method. Many studies state that nurses become less competent in the presence of a no-suicide contract. As the nurses are reluctant to implement other approaches, they may overlook obvious and much better intervention methodsThe signing of the act may also lead to early discharges as nurses may believe everything is normal and the patient is released without receiving the necessary medical care. 4. What nursing interventions can be implemented to decrease patient’s risk of negative self-harm behaviors and suicidal attempts?

The interventions should begin at the hospital level with ensuring nurses are well educated on the warning signs for suicide. The nurse should establish a relationship with the patient to detect any problems quicker.Apart from being able to detect early suicidal warning signs, the nurse should also be able to detect warning signs in the patient’s history (depression, drug abuse, recent divorce or unemployment, psychiatric disorders).The nurse can provide advice to the patient’s family as they can also be a support system.

The nurse should refer the patient to psychiatric department if he or she detects warning signs of suicide (verbalization- “I can’t live like this any longer”; reckless behavior; giving away valued possessions and abuse of narcotics)5. Describe a minimum of 2 contributing factors that increase the incidence of suicidal attempts amongst patients?Recent unemploymentRecent divorceChronic painRecent bereavementDepressionDrug abuse Previous suicide attemptsPsychiatric problems 6. What objective and subjective data can be analyzed as being indicative in regards to patient contemplation as it relates to suicide?

Objective dataPatient historyEmployment statusFamily historySubjective dataMoodVerbal responses Attitude towards life7. Please determine 1 nursing diagnosis that may be appropriate for the purposes of developing an individualized patient care plan for an individual who is suicidal.Social Isolation8. Please develop 3 nursing interventions for the patient’s plan of care that are each directly related to the identified nursing diagnoses. Please include a rationale for each nursing intervention.

Establishment of a therapeutic relationship with the patient. The nurse must be fully aware of the patient’s condition in order to understand the history of the problems and the different approaches taken in the past. The nurse must also understand the patient and his or her attitudes towards the current situation.Identify stressors in the patient’s life. This enables an etiological approach towards therapy as solving associated factors will not be useful for the patient. Validation of the patient’s thoughts towards his or her condition.

This is useful in establishing the relationship between the nurse and patient. It also assures the client that the nurse understands his or her situation.