Professional perspectives on roles and structural gaps in interprofessional collaboration for suicide prevention: a qualitative study
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Introduction: Suicidal behavior results from a complex interplay of psychiatric,
psychosocial, socioeconomic, and structural factors and requires coordinated
approaches across care sectors. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is widely
regarded as essential for bridging gaps in care, yet profession-level descriptions of
how IPC is organized and where structural bottlenecks occur in suicide
prevention remain limited. This study examined how IPC is structured and
experienced from the perspective of mental health professionals involved in
selected suicide prevention programs in Switzerland.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 professionals,
including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatric nurses.
Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, pseudonymized, and
analyzed using thematic analysis. A complementary perception-based network
visualization depicted reported collaboration patterns.
Results: Participants described a layered collaboration structure with a clinical
core comprising psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses, who
assumed central responsibility for crisis assessment, therapeutic interventions,
and follow-up care. General practitioners and social workers acted as bridging
actors at transition points, while collaboration with actors such as teachers, police
officers, and probation officers was described as more uncertain and episodic. IPC
was inconsistently organized: some services relied on designated key workers,
whereas others managed collaboration ad hoc. Task redistribution, shared
training, and information-sharing facilitated collaboration, while limited
resources, fragmented documentation systems, and the absence of clearly
defined coordination roles remained major barriers.
Discussion: From a professional perspective, IPC in Swiss suicide prevention is
anchored in specialist mental health services but depends on wider crosssectoral
collaboration. Strengthening IPC requires formal coordination roles,
interoperable documentation, and durable structures that embed collaboration
across care sectors.
KEYWORDS
care coordination, interprofessional collaboration, mental health services,
professional perspectives, qualitative research, suicide prevention, Switzerland
psychosocial, socioeconomic, and structural factors and requires coordinated
approaches across care sectors. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is widely
regarded as essential for bridging gaps in care, yet profession-level descriptions of
how IPC is organized and where structural bottlenecks occur in suicide
prevention remain limited. This study examined how IPC is structured and
experienced from the perspective of mental health professionals involved in
selected suicide prevention programs in Switzerland.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 professionals,
including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatric nurses.
Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, pseudonymized, and
analyzed using thematic analysis. A complementary perception-based network
visualization depicted reported collaboration patterns.
Results: Participants described a layered collaboration structure with a clinical
core comprising psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses, who
assumed central responsibility for crisis assessment, therapeutic interventions,
and follow-up care. General practitioners and social workers acted as bridging
actors at transition points, while collaboration with actors such as teachers, police
officers, and probation officers was described as more uncertain and episodic. IPC
was inconsistently organized: some services relied on designated key workers,
whereas others managed collaboration ad hoc. Task redistribution, shared
training, and information-sharing facilitated collaboration, while limited
resources, fragmented documentation systems, and the absence of clearly
defined coordination roles remained major barriers.
Discussion: From a professional perspective, IPC in Swiss suicide prevention is
anchored in specialist mental health services but depends on wider crosssectoral
collaboration. Strengthening IPC requires formal coordination roles,
interoperable documentation, and durable structures that embed collaboration
across care sectors.
KEYWORDS
care coordination, interprofessional collaboration, mental health services,
professional perspectives, qualitative research, suicide prevention, Switzerland
Date Issued
2026-03-09
Publication Type
Article
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Hollenstein, Eva | |
Castelli Dransart, Dolores Angela | |
Rajkumar, Sarah | |
Durrer, Michael | |
Michaud, Laurent | |
Saillant, Stéphane | |
Wyss, Kaspar |
Journal
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers Media
ISSN
1664-0640
Access(Rights)
open.access