Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Consideration

Assessing the Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Consideration
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Assessing the Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Consideration
Suicide is a serious public health concern in America, especially because suicide rates have risen by up to 33% from 1999 through 2017, and the fact that the pace of the increase has been steadily increasing since 2006. Suicide is ranked as the tenth leading cause of death in America and the second leading causing of death for persons below 35 years. There are more than 14 deaths per 100,000 population every year in the United States (CDC, 2021). Suicide risk is multi-factorial, and a majority of the same are tied to psychiatric illness, with the primary risk factors being depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Other contributing factors include trauma-, anxiety-, eating-, and personality-related disorders. Psychological autopsies of suicide victims have identified mental disorders as the primary reason for suicide ideation and willingness to act on suicidal thoughts: at least 90% of those who have died by suicide had mental disorders. The risk of suicide is projected to be 5 to 8% for various mental disorders, including schizophrenia and depression (Brådvik, 2018).
This assignment will focus on people with mental health issues, particularly those with a tendency to experience more suicidal thoughts and are more likely to act on these feelings. This problem is relevant to my practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse because by acting instinctively upon observing suicidal cues and showing empathy to relieve patients' psychological distress and inspire hope, I will enhance my ability to promote psychological and physical well-being. Working with mental health patients demonstrating suicidal intentions will improve my understanding of the multifactorial phenomenon, over and above, improve my nursing proficiencies in managing mental health symptoms and predicting and preventing suicide death. A review of peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describe and guide actions related to mental health patients with suicidal tendencies reveals that comorbidity between several major psychiatric disorders, including borderline personality disorder, mood disorders, and schizophrenia, are typically linked to higher suicide risk.
Consequently, a history of suicide attempts, somatic disorders, feelings of hopelessness, adverse childhood experiences, impulsivity and aggression, stressful life events, as well as interpersonal problems should be conducted during suicide prevention to identify triggers (American Psychiatric Association, 2016). This evidence is consistent with what I see in my nursing practice. A holistic and repeated suicide risk evaluation is carried out as the first step for effective suicide prevention. Another finding that aligns with clinical practice is giving particular attention to the mental health patient during and after hospitalization, especially the first days after discharge when the patient is most likely to act on persisting suicidal ideations. It is also standard practice for clinicians to include dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, psycho-education, and follow-ups, over and above, the pharmacological treatment for mood disorders and schizophrenia as part of the treatment plan (National Institute of Mental Health, 2021). Further development of suicide prevention in this population often takes the form of understanding additional risks and protective factors like the individual's social networks, their decision-making capacity, the importance of spiritual interventions, and the existing treatment gap in mental health care.
I would know if the data are unreliable by determining: the source of the evidence (the credentials of the authors and whether the studies are published in peer-reviewed journals); the sources underpinning the studies (whether primary or secondary were used, and how recent are the same); how the evidence compare with one another (whether there is an emerging pattern or contrary possible interpretations of the evidence); the specificity of the evidence (how well the evidence ultimately support or relate to my subject of interest); and the strength of the research methods used (the category under which the evidence classify in the hierarchy of evidence) (See, 2017). If the data are of dubious authorship or publication, rely on outdated secondary sources rather than current primary sources, have contrary interpretations of the evidence, are irrelevant to my study, or are situated very low in the hierarchy of evidence, I would be sure that the data are unreliable and therefore inappropriate to inform in my clinical research. One of the most significant barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing mental health patients with suicidal ideations is the lack of an organizational culture that supports the implementation of the same. Overcoming workplace resistance and the natural tendency of staff to stick to familiar clinical practices, even when they are outdated and ineffective, is generally the most significant impediment. Nurse managers and leaders, who are supposed to play the critical function of role models, and change champions, are often hesitant to support suggestions from frontline staff on new evidence-based practice in the treatment of the target population.
Another big challenge is the lack of sufficient education on how to implement evidence-based practices in clinical settings. While educators spend a great deal of time emphasizing the need for nurses to conduct rigorous research, very rarely do they focus on the specific skills needed to consistently facilitate and implement change. The lack of both a context and support system to sustain evidence-based practice efforts often results in little practice change or poor integration of evidence with clinical expertise as well as patient values and preferences. The nursing guidelines by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) specify that nurses in preventing suicides among mentally disturbed individuals should be founded on patient-level interventions. Studies indicate...