Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42378141›Full record

ArticleJMIR mental health2026

Use of a Conversational Agent for Training Mental Health Professionals in Suicide Safety Planning: Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Bénédicte Nobile, Zohar Elyoseph, Elia Gourguechonbuot, Josselin Guyodo, Jordi Garcia, Inbar Levkovich, Emilie Olie, Yuval Haber, Yossi Levi-Belz, Philippe Courtet

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Bénédicte NobileUniversity of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel, 972 555009984.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2570-6996
Zohar ElyosephThe Lior Tsfaty Center for Suicide and Mental Pain Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5717-4074
Elia GourguechonbuotCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, Occitanie, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-8697-9327
Josselin GuyodoCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, Occitanie, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-7258-5318
Jordi GarciaCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, Occitanie, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2078-4699
Inbar LevkovichTel Hai Academic College, Upper Galilee, Northern District, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1582-3889
Emilie OlieCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, Occitanie, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6684-8141
Yuval HaberThe Program for Hermeneutics and Culture, Interdisciplinary Studies Unit, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4933-2113
Yossi Levi-BelzThe Lior Tsfaty Center for Suicide and Mental Pain Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8865-5639
Philippe CourtetCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, Occitanie, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6519-8586

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Safety planning is recognized as one of the most effective interventions for reducing suicidal behaviors. The quality of safety plans strongly depends on professional training, and traditional methods, such as role-playing, are time-consuming and offer limited opportunities for repetition across diverse patient profiles. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) may provide innovative solutions by offering accessible, flexible, and realistic training environments. Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a GenAI-based simulator designed to train mental health professionals in safety planning. Methods: Twenty nurses and nursing assistants from psychiatric units in a French university hospital participated in a pre-post, single-session evaluation. After self-rating their ability, competence, and willingness to manage patients experiencing suicidal ideation, participants interacted individually with the text-based simulator for 20 minutes to perform a safety plan with a chatbot, then completed postsimulation acceptability items, and open-ended feedback. Composite scores were computed: acceptability (eg, helpfulness; 0-40), realism (eg, looking like real interaction with patient; 0-20), and challenge (eg, emotional challenge; 0-30). Pre-post changes were tested (Wilcoxon signed-rank test), and age-group comparisons were performed. Results: Acceptability was high (mean 31.9/40, SD 5.3; median 32, IQR 7), realism moderate-to-high (mean 15.1/20, SD 4.1; median 15, IQR 5.25), and challenge manageable (mean 17.0/30, SD 8; median 18, IQR 12.5). Participants rated usefulness (mean 7.65/10, SD 1.57; median 8, IQR 1.57), perceived learning (mean 7.6/10, SD 1.79; median 8, IQR 2), recommendation to use the chatbot for training (mean 8.3/10, SD 1.59; median 9, IQR 2.25), and feedback quality (mean 8.35/10, SD 1.27; median 8.5, IQR 1.25) favorably. Willingness to actively manage patients experiencing suicidal ideation significantly increased postsimulation (P=.03). Younger participants reported higher acceptability (P=.04) and realism (P=.03). Participants reported minimal concerns regarding the simulator's use. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates that a GenAI-based simulator for safety planning is feasible and highly acceptable among experienced mental health professionals. The findings are promising and warrant larger, controlled trials to assess impacts on training effectiveness and patient outcomes.

Indexed as

Health PersonnelSuicide PreventionAdultFeasibility StudiesFemaleGenerative Artificial IntelligenceHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSuicidal Ideationartificial intelligenceclinical formationlarge language modelssafety plansuicide

Identifiers

PMID42378141
PMCPMC13317675

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.