Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Robert Anders

Abstract

The absence of adequate knowledge, skills, and competencies in screening for suicide risk in adolescent and young adult patients is a significant problem facing nurses in outpatient settings. An evaluation of the project site facility’s main performance metrics revealed shortcomings in locating patients who pose a serious risk of self-harm and suicide. Staff dealing with the patients may, as a result, overlook preemptive measures that could stop a suicide event. The project aimed to create a training program to introduce the ask suicide-screening questions (ASQ) tool kit, an evidence-based suicide screening tool, to ambulatory nurses. The goal of the project was to boost the staff’s familiarity with this tool. The educational program, instructional materials, pretest, and posttest of the project were all evaluated by the panel of five experts using Lynn’s assessment technique. The experts found that all the learning resources, including the educational material, were beneficial. The instructional curriculum was based on Knowles’ adult learning theory. A sample of seven ambulatory care nurses participated in the education program. Pretest findings showed means ranging between 1.42857143 and 2.14285714 and modes between 1 and 2, indicating deficiencies in the use of the ASQ tool kit. Conversely, the posttest resulted in means ranging between 3.428571429 and 3.85714286 and a mode of 3–4. These findings suggest success in the development of staff competencies in using the ASQ tool kit. The findings of this project have implications for positive social change by potentially decreasing the risk of suicide in the practicum setting and preventing unnecessary death in adolescent and young adult populations.

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