Multicomponent Intervention for Patients Admitted to an Emergency Unit for Suicide Attempt: An Exploratory Study.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychiatry
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Suicide is a global public health crisis and a leading cause of premature death.
• Suicide attempt is the primary risk factor for completed suicide, necessitating effective interventions.
• Emergency units are crucial settings for intervening with suicide attempt survivors due to frequent medical care requests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a multicomponent intervention for suicide attempt survivors in emergency units.
• To assess the potential of emergency units as a setting for suicide prevention strategies.
• To identify barriers and facilitators for implementing interventions for suicide attempt survivors.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory study piloting a multicomponent intervention for suicide attempt survivors admitted to an emergency unit.
• The intervention included case management, joint crisis plan coordination, early meetings with relatives and care networks, and 3-month phone follow-up.
• Data collected on inclusion, exclusion, refusal rates, and participant feedback on intervention components.

Main Results:

• The intervention was offered to 34 of 107 eligible suicide attempt survivors; 19 participated.
• First-time attempters were more likely to decline the intervention.
• Phone contacts and case management demonstrated good feasibility and acceptability, whereas joint crisis plans and meetings were less feasible and acceptable.

Conclusions:

• The multicomponent intervention shows promise but requires modifications to joint crisis plans and meetings to improve feasibility and acceptability, particularly for first-time attempters.
• Emergency units can serve as a viable setting for suicide attempt survivor interventions.
• Further research is needed to refine interventions for diverse suicide attempt survivor populations.