“It’s so scary, and you’re so alone with it”: Clinicians’ perspectives on suicide risk management in integrated primary care

Abstract

Primary care clinics serve many patients experiencing latent or evident suicide risk and may benefit from implementing suicide care improvements such as the Zero Suicide model. However, little is known about the readiness of clinics to implement such initiatives. We interviewed a range of clinicians (e.g., medical providers, behavioral health providers, nurses; n = 24) from six integrated primary care clinics to better understand strengths and limitations of the milieu, how suicide risk is currently detected and managed, and which implementation strategies could be employed to improve suicide prevention. We found clinics were extremely busy and resource-constrained but had a strong and longitudinal commitment to patients and families. Suicide risk was detected in a variety of ways and clinicians had limited resources to offer these patients. Clinicians sought to preserve patients’ autonomy and trust while also ensuring their safety. Preferred strategies included dissemination of protocols and tools, training, electronic health record changes, and improved staffing. Our findings suggest that suicide prevention initiatives in primary care should attend to the constraints of the care setting, adapting their approach to ensure they fit with workflow while also centering patient autonomy and rapport.