Effects of an online suicide crisis nursing education program on suicide prevention information literacy, attitudes toward suicide, and suicide prevention behaviors among general ward nurses in general hospitals

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of an online suicide crisis nursing education program on suicide prevention information literacy, attitudes toward suicide, and suicide prevention behaviors among general ward nurses.Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group pre-test–post-test design was used. Forty-seven nurses from two general hospitals were assigned to an experimental group (n=23) or a control group (n=24). The experimental group completed an eight-module online program over four weeks. Data were analyzed using the χ2 test, Fisher’s exact probability test, independent t-test, and Mann–Whitney U test.Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in suicide prevention information literacy (p=.018) and suicide prevention behaviors (p<.001). Moreover, permissive attitudes toward suicide, particularly the belief that suicide is an acceptable solution to problems, decreased significantly in the experimental group compared with the control group (p<.001).Conclusion: The online suicide crisis nursing education program effectively enhanced nurses’ suicide prevention competencies by improving suicide prevention information literacy, reducing permissive attitudes toward suicide, and strengthening suicide prevention behaviors . These findings suggest that structured online education can serve as a practical strategy to reinforce suicide intervention skills in clinical practice.