Case management for suicide prevention: a rapid review and evidence map

Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death for the general population and for members of the United States military. Despite substantial resources invested in preventing suicide in both civilian and governmental agencies, identifying effective approaches remains a challenge.

Consistent with the continued need to identify effective strategies, a military stakeholder requested a rapid review of suicide prevention programs which incorporated trained, non-provider personnel (e.g., case managers, care navigators). We found a lack of comprehensive reviews on this topic and developed an evidence map to characterize the current state of the research on case management programs for suicide prevention. The elements for this evidence map included characteristics and components of the relevant programs, role of the case manager, outcomes measured, and any indications of effectiveness.

We included four systematic reviews and 30 articles representing 27 studies in this review. Case management as a service was applied differently across settings and populations and the results on suicide-related outcomes were mixed. Models or approaches with multiple studies showing some evidence of effectiveness included intensive case management (ICM) and multilevel, population-based programs. Other programs showed some evidence of effectiveness but were represented by just one study.

To help advance our understanding of the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs that incorporate case management, future studies should provide comprehensive descriptions of case management, including clear definitions of the service and descriptions of the role (e.g., educational background, specific tasks performed, duration, and type of patient involvement).