Staff Education to Improve Nurses' Knowledge and Confidence in Suicide Risk Assessment

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice staff education project was to strengthen nurses’ knowledge and confidence in suicide risk assessments. Suicide remains a crucial patient safety issue, and nurses report uncertainty in early recognition and intervention; therefore, brief, practice-proximal training is essential. The practice-focused question that informed this project’s purpose was whether a short education module with pre- and post testing improves nurses’ knowledge and confidence in suicide risk assessment. Three nurses participated in a structured session covering risk factors, warning signs, standardized screening, and safety planning. I then used descriptive analysis to compare their pre- and posttest scores and self-reported confidence ratings. Findings showed clear, short-term gains: Participants’ mean knowledge scores increased from 60% on the pretest) to 90% on the posttest, and their self-rated confidence rose similarly, suggesting that even a concise, practice-proximal education module can improve nurse readiness to screen and respond. The project included the education module and a brief testing tool to track participants’ knowledge and confidence. My recommendations to leadership are to institutionalize periodic refresher training; embed universal suicide-risk screening and safety-planning prompts into workflows; and monitor implementation, such as completion rates and documentation quality, to sustain gains over time. The project’s implications for nursing practice include more consistent, earlier identification of risk and clearer escalation pathways. Regarding positive social change centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the project promotes equitable access to suicide prevention by normalizing universal screening and encouraging culturally responsive safety planning for diverse patient populations.