JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Health care professionals are challenged in the care of persons with suicidal ideation or behavior. For affected persons, professional care is essential, and being interviewed about their experiences can be stressful. The experiences of persons ideating or attempting suicide are essential to focus their needs on designing eHealth products to support them in crises and for their continuous care.

Objective:

The aim was to synthesize published qualitative research about how persons with suicidal thoughts or behavior experience inpatient or outpatient care. A model will be derived from the meta-synthesis to guide health care professionals in their work with affected persons and provide a thorough needs assessment for eHealth development.

Methods:

A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted using an inductive approach, as proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso. The inclusion criteria were studies in English and German that dealt with persons who ideated or attempted suicide. Relevant articles were identified by searching the PubMed and Cinahl databases and by handsearching relevant journals and reference lists. The findings of each study were analyzed using initial and axial coding, followed by selective coding. A conceptual model was derived.

Results:

In total, 3169 articles were identified in the systematic literature search. Articles were screened independently by two researchers based on the eligibility criteria. Finally, twelve studies were included. The central phenomenon observed among persons ideating or attempting suicide is their process from feeling unanchored to feeling anchored in life again. During inpatient and outpatient care, they experience being dependent on the skills and attitudes of health care professionals. While helpful skills and attitudes support persons ideating or attempting suicide to reach their feeling of being anchored in life again, adverse interactions are experienced negatively and might lead to prolonging or maintaining the feeling of being unanchored in life.

Conclusions:

The study promotes a differentiated view of the experiences of persons ideating or attempting suicide. The derived conceptual model can guide health care professionals in their work with affected persons in order to support affected persons during their recovery. Moreover, the conceptual model is useable as a springboard to develop eHealth solutions for crisis situations and long-term care.