Perceptions of Australian emergency staff towards patients presenting with deliberate self-poisoning: A qualitative perspective

Introduction/Background: Attitude of staff towards patients who present to the emergency department following deliberate self-poisoning may be integral to the outcome of these events. There is little in-depth understanding of emergency staff perceptions about this vulnerable group.

Aim: Explore staff perceptions about caring for patients who present to the emergency department following deliberate self-poisoning.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study.

Methods: Two open-ended questions enabled 186 clinicians to describe their perceptions about caring for people who present to the emergency department following deliberate self-poisoning. Data were analysed using qualitative data analysis procedures.

Results: Three themes emerged from the data representing staff perceptions about caring for patients who deliberately self-poisoned and included depends on the patient, treat everyone the same, and skilled and confident to manage these patients.

Conclusion: Staff reported mixed reactions to patients presenting with deliberate self-poisoning. These included feelings of empathy or frustration, and many lacked the skills and confidence to effectively manage these patients.

Relevance to practice: Health networks are required to ensure that emergency staff have specialist support, knowledge, skills, and guidelines to provide effective care for this vulnerable population.