Introduction: Suicide is an act where a person's aggressive behavior is directed against themselves, with the intention of ending life. It is a complex phenomenon and the most important risk factor in the general population. Treatment of a suicidal patient is a challenging task in practice. Nurses in the field of psychiatry often encounter suicidal behavior and threats, but work with such patients is not limited to psychiatric institutions, but is often present already in the field and during emergency treatment. Since the consequences of suicidal behavior can often be fatal, help is needed as quickly as possible, especially from the people who arrive first at the end of the accident and participate in emergency treatment Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to present the emergency treatment of a patient with suicidal risk at all levels of health care and to define the most important nursing activities in this regard, with the help of three research questions. Methods: We used a descriptive research method for the thesis. The search for domestic and foreign literature was carried out using search databases (Medline, PubMed and Cinahl), and was accessed through the online portal Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana and through the bibliographic system COBISS.Si. The search took place from January 2022 to August 2022. The inclusion criteria required: free access for members of the University of Ljubljana, the age of articles was limited to 15 years, original and transparent scientific and professional articles were in English or Slovenian, and valid the relevance of key words and the content of the title and abstract with the aim and objectives of the diploma thesis were also a must. Results: Good care in emergency medical treatment means not only immediate comfort and saving life, but also a reduction in the risk of repeated attempts at suicide or self-harm, gaining trust and thus an easier possibility of further treatment and achieving the goal. In addition to quick action and ensuring safety, comprehensive care is necessary, which also includes adequate communication, individual treatment and gaining trust, which helps to improve further treatment in psychiatric institutions. Discussion and conclusion: Suicidal behavior is presented as a major public health problem and can be fatal to human life as well as its surroundings. In hospitals, it is easier to help and provide adequate care for patients with suicidal behavior, and emergency care providers also face such behavior. It was found that because of the quick care, it is also superficial and thus not much attention is paid to the psychological state of the person and it is left to psychiatric patients. The knowledge of nursing providers is more modest in this area, and thus additional teaching, additional knowledge is needed to recognize suicidal behavior, to effectively prevent suicides and to work with patients at risk of suicide.
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