Suicide among Nursing Home Residents: Development of Recommendations for Prevention Using a Nominal Group Technique.

This research aimed to develop and prioritize recommendations for prevention of suicide among nursing home residents. The study employed a nominal group technique, comprising three rounds, including two forums and a follow-up survey to prioritize recommendations for prevention. Participants included experts and stakeholders in aged care, geriatric psychiatry, suicide prevention, and public policy. The study was conducted and described in accordance with the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ). Nine participants (n = 6 males, 66%) developed eleven recommendations for prevention. The top three prioritized recommendations included expanding state and national suicide prevention frameworks, aligning nursing home life with community living, and improving residents' access to mental health services. The recommendations provide a foundation for suicide prevention strategies in Australian nursing homes and contribute to the limited international knowledge base on prevention of suicide among nursing home residents.

Suicide among nursing home residents in Australia: A national population-based retrospective analysis of medico-legal death investigation information.

OBJECTIVES: Suicide among nursing home residents is a growing public health concern, currently lacking in empirical research. This study aims to describe the frequency and nature of suicide among nursing home residents in Australia. METHODS: This research comprised a national population-based retrospective analysis of suicide deaths among nursing home residents in Australia reported to the Coroner between July 2000 and December 2013. Cases were identified using the National Coronial Information System, and data collected from paper-based coroners' records on individual, incident, and organizational factors, as well as details of the medico-legal death investigation. Data analysis comprised univariate and bivariate descriptive statistical techniques; ecological analysis of incidence rates using population denominators; and comparison of age and sex of suicide cases to deaths from other causes using logistic regression. RESULTS: The study identified 141 suicides among nursing home residents, occurring at a rate of 0.02 deaths per 100 000 resident bed days. The ratio of deaths from suicide to deaths from any other cause was higher in males than females (OR = 3.56, 95%CI = 2.48-5.12, P = <0.001). Over half of the residents who died from suicide had a diagnosis of depression (n = 93, 66.0%) and had resided in the nursing home for less than 12 months (n = 71, 50.3%). Common major life stressors identified in suicide cases included the following: health deterioration (n = 112, 79.4%); isolation and loneliness (n = 60, 42.6%); and maladjustment to nursing home life (n = 42, 29.8%). CONCLUSIONS: This research provides a foundational understanding of suicide among nursing home residents in Australia and contributes important new information to the international knowledge base.

The association between exposure to interpersonal violence and suicide among women: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review the association between exposure to interpersonal violence and suicide among women. METHODS: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol (PRISMA-P), this review examined articles identified by using the key terms 'interpersonal violence', 'suicide' and 'death'. Of 5,536 articles identified, 38 met the a priori inclusion criteria. These required that studies examined interpersonal violence, included women and completed suicide was a measured outcome. RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies were identified. These examined suicides among women exposed to interpersonal violence as a victim (n=27) or perpetrator (n=14). A history of interpersonal violence was identified in 3.5-62.5% of female suicides, with many articles finding victims of abuse have an increased risk of death from suicide. Females perpetrating violence may also be at increased the risk of death from suicide. However, several papers have questioned these associations. Further, the contribution of mental illness to this association is unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Although the association between suicide and interpersonal violence requires further investigation, being a victim or perpetrator of violence appears to be associated with risk of suicide. Future research should focus on the impact that the type of violence, victim-perpetrator relationship and proximity of violence has on the risk of death from suicide. Implications for Public Health: There may be significant opportunity for targeted suicide prevention strategies among women who have been victims or perpetrators of interpersonal violence.

Resident-to-resident physical aggression leading to injury in nursing homes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: resident-to-resident aggression (RRA) is an understudied form of elder abuse in nursing homes. OBJECTIVE: the purpose of this systematic review was to examine the published research on the frequency, nature, contributing factors and outcomes of RRA in nursing homes. METHODS: in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement, this review examined all original, peer-reviewed research published in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish between 1st January 1949 and 31st December 2013 describing incidents of RRA in nursing homes. The following information was extracted for analysis: study and population characteristics; main findings (including prevalence, predisposing factors, triggers, nature of incidents, outcomes and interventions). RESULTS: eighteen studies were identified, 12 quantitative and 6 qualitative. The frequency of RRA ranged from 1 to 122 incidents, with insufficient information across the studies to calculate prevalence. RRA commonly occurred between exhibitors with higher levels of cognitive awareness and physical functionality and a history of aggressive behaviours, and female targets who were cognitively impaired with a history of behavioural issues including wandering. RRA most commonly took place in the afternoon in communal settings, was often triggered by communication issues and invasion of space, or was unprovoked. Limited information exists on organisational factors contributing to RRA and the outcomes for targets of aggression. CONCLUSIONS: we must continue to grow our knowledge base on the nature and circumstances of RRA to prevent harm to an increasing vulnerable population of nursing home residents and ensure a safe working environment for staff.

Collaboration between the coroner and emergency physicians: efforts to improve outcomes from aortic dissection.

The Coroners Prevention Unit at the Coroners Court of Victoria (CCV) is a multidisciplinary team that investigates deaths referred by the state's coroners, with a view to identifying prevention opportunities. The death of a woman from acute aortic dissection (AAD) after an emergency department attendance prompted the coroner to request a roundtable meeting with emergency physicians (EPs) from Melbourne. The round table was attended by 17 EPs from Melbourne hospitals, along with representatives from the CCV. The meeting identified important clinical, system and cultural features of AAD presentation and management that might be useful in improving case detection and management, and hence outcomes. A key recommendation was that EPs teach junior staff that AAD is the "subarachnoid haemorrhage of chest pain", to change the way patients with chest pain are assessed, with an emphasis on red flags for AAD being considered at the beginning of any discussion. This innovative collaboration between the CCV and EPs may serve as a model for future interactions between the CCV and the medical profession.

Non-reporting of reportable deaths to the coroner: when in doubt, report.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the non-reporting of reportable deaths by determining the frequency and nature of reportable deaths referred to the Coroners Court of Victoria (CCOV) by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). DESIGN AND SETTING: Review of referrals from BDM to the CCOV between 2003 and 2011 where an external cause of death was recorded on the death certificate, with detailed review for the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency and nature of deaths referred, accuracy of cause of death recorded on death certificate, and degree of change made to cause of death after investigation. RESULTS: Over 9 years, there were 4283 referrals (annual mean, 476). Of 656 deaths referred between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011, 320 (48.8%) were found to be reportable. Most causes of death related to injuries; less common were choking, deaths after medical procedures, poisoning and transport-related deaths. Most of the deceased were women (55.9%), were aged ≥ 80 years (80.0%), and died in hospital (68.4%). In 309 cases (96.6%), the coroner changed the cause of death after investigation, with a major change in 146 (45.6%), minor change in 160 (50.0%), and deletion of comorbidities in three (0.9%). Twenty-one cases (6.6%) were investigated further, with one proceeding to an inquest. CONCLUSIONS: Deaths referred by BDM represent a proportion of the unquantified pool of non-reported deaths. Non-reporting of potentially reportable deaths and inaccurate completion of death certificates have significant implications for the health system and community. Further education of medical practitioners about reportable deaths and death certificates is required. Doctors should report any death about which they have doubt.