Development of Preventing Suicide Model among Older Adults in the Community Based on the SAMMOH Model with Telenursing in Chanthaburi Province
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Social, economic, and political issues affect the way of life of the elderly, which causes stress, leading to hopelessness, depression, and suicide.
OBJECTIVES: To study the situation of depression and suicide among the elderly in the community, to develop a model for suicide prevention, and to measure the effectiveness of the suicide prevention model for the elderly in the community in accordance with the SAMMOH (Three Doctors) policy, in conjunction with telenursing in Chanthaburi Province.
METHODS: In the research and development of the model, statistical data, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were analyzed in order to examine the outcomes of depression, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and content analysis.
RESULTS: A care model involving a team of three doctors and a monitoring system conducted through telenursing was developed. Elderly patients with depression showed a significant reduction in depression scores, whereas knowledge scores, attitudes, and practices to prevent depression and suicide were higher compared to those before the intervention (p<0.001). Additionally, attitudes toward depression and suicide improved significantly compared to before the intervention (p=0.003).
CONCLUSIONS: The elderly, their families, and local mental health teams were able to strengthen their knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the elderly group in the community now have a system for monitoring depression through telenursing, a network has been established to prevent suicide issues, and the area has a structured operational model.
Thaiclinicaltrials.org number, TCTR20250523001
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