Introduction: Suicide, being a major public health problem, requires appropriate and adequate integration into the undergraduate medical curriculum. A contextually relevant script can facilitate simulation-based teaching and enhance students’ competency in suicide risk assessment. Aim: To validate a script for simulation-based training in suicide risk assessment. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry of a tertiary care teaching hospital from February 2024 to May 2024, with approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). The study employed a Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) approach. A script was developed with input from mental health experts and validated by a 44-member expert panel. The script was evaluated on 13 components of suicide risk assessment using Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and descriptive statistics, analysed with R statistical software version 4.3.3. Results: Forty-four experts (response rate: 88%) provided their opinions on the script for use in training standardised patients and developing simulation-based video modules. The evaluation revealed substantial consensus among experts on most components. Ten out of the 13 items achieved a CVR of 1, indicating strong content validity and consensus regarding the script’s necessity and relevance. Conclusion: The CVR assessment confirmed the script’s necessity and relevance. However, the subjective nature of expert opinions was a limitation of the study. Future directions include refining the script based on feedback, testing its effectiveness in educational settings and exploring its utility across diverse contexts.
J.Hussain et al. (Wed,) studied this question.