The effect of an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme on implementation of suicide guidelines in mental health care

Background: Randomized studies examining the effect of training of mental health professionals in suicide prevention guidelines are scarce. We assessed whether professionals benefited from an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme aimed at the application of the Dutch multidisciplinary suicide prevention guideline. Methods: 45 psychiatric departments from all over the Netherlands were clustered in pairs and randomized. In the experimental condition, all of the staff of psychiatric departments was trained by peers with an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme. Guideline adherence of individual professionals was measured by means of the response to on-line video fragments. Multilevel analyses were used to establish whether variation between conditions was due to differences between individual professionals or departments. Results: Multilevel analysis showed that the intervention resulted in an improvement of individual professionals. At the 3 month follow-up, professionals who received the intervention showed greater guideline adherence, improved self-perceived knowledge and improved confidence as providers of care than professionals who were only exposed to traditional guideline dissemination. Subgroup analyses showed that improved guideline adherence was found among nurses but not among psychiatrists and psychologists. No significant effect of the intervention on team performance was found. Limitations: The ICT environment in departments was often technically inadequate when displaying the video clips clip of the survey. This may have caused considerable drop-out and possibly introduced selection bias, as professionals who were strongly affiliated to the theme of the study might have been more likely to finish the study. Conclusions: Our results support the idea that an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme is an effective strategy for implementing clinical guidelines and improving care for suicidal patients. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register (NTR3092 www.trialregister.nl). (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).).