BACKGROUND. Every year, 800,000 suicides are carried out in the world and in Sweden suicidal behaviour is the most common cause of death among individuals 15 to 44 years. The nurse's specific expertise in emergency care consists of the patient's care, a task which the suicidal patients state requires a positive attitude and the opportunity to devote time to the patient. Despite this, this patient group states that they are addressed by sentencing nurses with a lack of understanding. But how do nurses experience this meeting and their attitude towards this patient group? AIM. The aim of this general literature review was to describe nurses’ attitudes to and experiences of meeting patients with suicidal behaviour in emergency care. METHOD. The study's design is a descriptive general literature review. Articles were searched in CINAHL and MEDLINE via PubMed and 12 articles were included in the results. RESULTS. The study showed that nurses in emergency care generally held positive attitudes towards patients with suicidal behaviour. Negative attitudes were also described, which could be influenced by the nurses' own moral and religious values. The encounter between nurse and suicidal patient created great frustration among the nurses, due to lack of time and environmental adjustment for patients with suicidal behaviour, as well as the feeling of not having the knowledge and skills needed to care for this patient group. CONCLUSION. Nurses need education in suicidal behaviour to influence their attitude and experience of meeting this patient group.

KEYWORDS: suicidal behavior, nurses, attitudes, emergency care