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☐ ☆ ✇ Journal of Clinical Nursing

What comes next? A cross‐sectional study on post‐discharge referrals of adolescents treated in emergency services following a suicide attempt

Abstract

Aim

To assess the proportions and associated factors of different post-discharge referrals among adolescents treated in the emergency department after a suicide attempt.

Design

Observational, cross-sectional retrospective study.

Methods

We conducted a study using the medical records of 140 adolescents treated for a suicide attempt between January 2015 and May 2023 in a Brazilian emergency department, focusing on post-discharge referrals, defined as discharge without referral, unaddressed referral and referral addressed to the network. Associations between the outcomes and other variables were analysed using a Poisson regression model.

Results

Discharges without referrals prevailed, followed by addressed and unaddressed referrals. Regression models showed associations between post-discharge and age, prior continuous use of psychotropic medications, location of care, continued suicidal ideation at discharge and evaluation by a multi-professional team.

Conclusion

A high number of adolescents were discharged from emergency departments without co-ordination with the mental health network, and the involvement of the multi-professional team was positively associated with addressed referrals.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

This study informs healthcare professionals by raising awareness of their practices in discharging adolescents after suicide attempts in emergency departments, with the possibility of improving care quality and reducing the likelihood of readmission.

Reporting Method

STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

☐ ☆ ✇ Journal of Clinical Nursing

Changes in the diagnosis of depression among nursing professionals during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Aims

To identify changes in mental health status among nursing professionals in a Brazilian municipality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

An observational and longitudinal study.

Methods

Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the presence of depressive symptoms was evaluated among 690 nursing professionals in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, at two moments: June/July 2020 and June/July 2021.

Results

13.0% incidence of depressive symptoms was identified; as well as 12.2% remission; 24.1% persistence and 50.7% absence. Among the factors associated with the worst prognoses we can mention female gender, greater workload, feeling of overload, illness of family members or friends due to COVID-19 and use of psychotropic drugs

Conclusions

There was significant mobility in the diagnosis of depression among the professionals studied during the period analysed, with incidence of new cases of significant depression and greater than the number of remissions. In addition to sociodemographic aspects, traumatic experiences and exposure to continuous overload were associated with persistence and incidence of new cases.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have shown an increase in depressive symptoms among nursing professionals; however, understanding the long-term effects of this scenario is still a challenge.

Impact

What problem did the study address? This study investigates changes in the mental health status of nursing professionals working at different care levels, taking the prevalence of screening for depression as a proxy, during a period of a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What were the main findings? Between both data collection moments, 2020 e 2021, there was a significant percentage of professionals with persistent depression, in addition to a significant proportion of incident cases that slightly exceeded the number of remissions and the factors associated with the worst prognoses were sociodemographic aspects such as gender and emotional stressors like illness of family members or close friends due to COVID-19, in addition to those related to the organisation and support provided by the services, such as workload and feeling of overload.

Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This study will impact the nursing professionals and in role of the health services in order to establishing actions that contribute to minimising the deleterious effects of the pandemic on the mental health of their Nursing teams.

Reporting method

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were adopted in this study.

Patient or public contribution

No Patient or Public Contribution.

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