title: The impact of patient suicide and sudden death on health care professionals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the professional and personal impact of patient suicide and sudden death on health care professionals (HCPs) and determine factors associated with these impacts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was derived from a sudden death-controlled psychological autopsy study of suicide. HCPs were identified by deceased's next of kin, by other HCPs, from coroners' files and from medical records. The HCPs were interviewed about their last contact with the deceased and the impact of the death on their lives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred eleven HCPs were interviewed following suicide; 92 after sudden death. Suicide deaths were significantly more likely to impact upon the HCP's professional practice [suicide n = 79 (37.4%); sudden death n=9 (9.9%); χ(2) = 22.06, P < .001] and personal life [suicide deaths n = 55 (26.1%); sudden death n = 12 (13.0%); χ(2) = 5.58, P = .018] than sudden deaths. Using multinomial logistic regression, being female and suicide within a week of the consultation predicted professional and personal impacts; having less than 5 years experience predicted professional impact and receipt of support/counseling predicted personal impact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicide deaths have a greater impact than sudden deaths upon the life of HCPs. Clinical inexperience influences impacts on professional practice and availability of support impacts on personal life.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia. Electronic address: b.draper@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt Campus, Nathan, QLD 4122, Australia. Electronic address: k.kolves@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kairi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kõlves
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt Campus, Nathan, QLD 4122, Australia. Electronic address: d.deleo@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Leo
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Jara Unit, Concord Hospital, NSW 2139, Australia. Electronic address: John.Snowdon@sswahs.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snowdon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003645:Death, Sudden; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Health care professional; Impact; Sudden death; Suicide