Studies shed light on nurse suicide rates, prevention options

Female nurses are roughly twice as likely to commit suicide than the general female population and 70% more likely than female physicians, according to a University of Michigan study examining suicide among physicians and nurses from 2007 to 2018. "The takeaway for me is we've focused so much on physician welfare that, historically, we haven't paid enough attention to this huge workforce that, based on our data, is at much higher risk,” said the study’s lead author. A separate study published in the Journal of Nursing Regulation found increased risk among nurses who lost their jobs or left the profession because of substance use, mental health issues or chronic pain. Including suicide prevention efforts in the process of transitioning nurses to unemployment might be one way to mitigate the risk, the researchers suggest. (Newswise news release, 4/12/21)