Psychiatric Nursing Care of Suicidal Patients Described by the Sympathy–Acceptance–Understanding–Competence Model for Confirming Nursing

Our aim was to describe psychiatric nursing care of suicidal patients from an action–theoretical and confirmatory perspective using the Sympathy–Acceptance–Understanding–Competence (SAUC) model for confirming nursing. Twenty-nine nurses were interviewed and asked to answer a questionnaire. The interview results showed that the nurses' care consisted of 83% of person support, 16% of self-support, and less than 1% of self-perspective support. However, the questionnaire responses showed that the nurses regarded all levels of support as equally important. Theoretical frameworks, such as the SAUC model, facilitate descriptions of nursing and may be used to improve the care of suicidal patients by making it deliberate and possible to evaluate.