The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes towards attempted suicide patients among registered nurses involved in the somatic care of such patients, and to compare them with those of psychiatric nurses. The attitudes were measured on a newly constructed scale, the Understanding of Suicide Attempt Patients Scale (USP-Scale), and three brief clinical vignettes with the answer format of a visual analogue scale (VAS). The nurses working within the psychiatric services were more understanding and more willing to nurse suicide attempt patients than nurses in somatic disciplines. Among all the nurses, older personnel were more favourably disposed than the younger, and more frequent contact with suicide-prone patients was related to more positive attitudes. The perceived need for further training in suicidology was significantly stronger among the nurses in the general hospitals. This suggests that their 'negative attitudes' may to some extent be a result of lack of knowledge and uncertainty rather than a hostile attitude. The nurse has a responsibility to create a positive climate in the patient's encounter with the health services. Knowledge and understanding are needed to enable the nurse to provide professional care for a difficult and challenging patient group.