Page 223 - Hospital Authority Convention 2017

Service Enhancement Presentations

F7.1 Committed and Happy Staff 13:15 Room 421

Patient Care Assistant Training on Suicidal Observation
1,2
3
3
4
3,4
Lam MY , Luk KH , Lo CL , Fan LK , Lin YY , Au Yeung WC 5
1 2 3 4 5
Male Acute Ward, Male Rehabilitation Ward, Female Acute Ward, Female Rehabilitation Ward, Psychogeriatric Ward, Shatin HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2017
Hospital
Introduction
Patient care assistants are a valuable part of the healthcare team and have close interaction with patients on a daily basis.
They play an important part in suicide prevention by observing, reporting, and taking records of patients with suicidal risk.
The crux of high quality suicidal observation relies on their vigilance and awareness on early signs or clues of suicidal
tendencies. A structured orientation or periodic refresher training on suicidal observation is indispensable for sharpening
their skills and competence. A workgroup was formed by representatives of different psychiatric units to develop a training
programme for patient care assistants and monitor their quality of suicidal observation in day-to-day practice. The training
programme was uploaded to webpage of Psychiatric Department for staff to review content at their fingertips.
Objectives
(1) To enhance staff awareness on suicidal observation; (2) to educate staff on bolts and nuts of suicidal observation; (3) to
enhance skills and competence on suicidal observation; (4) to reinforce person-centred care when delivering care to patients
with suicidal risk; (5) to highlight the important points that are easily overlooked and desensitised; (6) to consolidate staff
knowledge by incidents sharing and quiz.

Methodology
A pre-test and post-test design was used, and the results were measured before and after the training. The test included 10
questions, five of them are selected as crucial questions that participants should answer correctly after training. Subjects
were all patient care assistants from psychiatric inpatient units (psychogeriatric, female acute, female rehabilitation, male
acute, male rehabilitation).

Results
The training was conducted in October 2016. 50 patient care assistants participated in this training programme (96% of
patient care assistants working in psychiatric units). 29% on average answered the crucial questions wrongly while staff
working in rehabilitation ward took more than 15%. All crucial questions were all answered correctly after the training.
Participants showed interest in incidents sharing and were astonished about clients taking unusual ways of attempting
suicide. It impressed staff the severity and unpredictability of clients’ suicidal behaviour that immensely called for staff
vigilant and prudent observation.

They appreciated nursing staff to recapture the essence of suicidal observation and were able to make revision
independently. It is not just training on hands-on skills, but also delivers the key messages of person-centred care that is
equally important when caring clients with suicidal risk. The promising result showed the vast changes of staff in skills and
knowledge of observing clients with suicidal risk. Wednesday, 17 May

221