Assistance related to suicidal behavior at a mobile emergency service: Sociodemographic and clinical associated factors.

Abstract

It is important to investigate the care given to people with suicidal behavior, as it is an important predictor of future death by suicide and there is a lack of studies on this issue in Brazil. This study had the objective of investigating assistance related to suicidal behavior at a mobile emergency service and sociodemographic and clinical associated factors. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study based on documental information. The data were collected through manual consultation of nursing records in which call-outs for suicidal behavior in the year 2014 were documented. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, correlation tests, and comparison of means tests. In the 313 records analyzed there was a predominance of adult women with self-inflicted drug poisoning, attended to in their own residence and referred to pre-hospital emergency medical services. There was a lack of documentation on signs, symptoms, and grievances in most cases. The interventions most carried out by the nurses were related to monitoring of clinical parameters. There were differences related to the victim's sex and lethality, suicide attempt method, referral to emergency services, and semester of occurrence (January-June, July-December). Suicide attempts through self-poisoning or self-inflicted injuries differed in relation to time of call-out, waiting time, lethality, documentation on clinical assessment and interventions, and referral to emergency services. This study enabled the charting of factors linked with suicidal behavior and associated factors; it offers reflections on limitations and nursing care potential in the prevention of reoccurrence of suicidal behavior.