title: Chain of care for patients with intentional self-harm: an effective strategy to reduce suicide rates?
abstract: Chain of care for patients with intentional self-harm was important in the Norwegian national action plan to prevent suicide. In this study there were two aims: (1) to calculate the potential effects of chain of care on reducing suicide rates, and (2) to assess whether suicide rates decreased more in areas where chain of care had been implemented than in other areas. We observed no differences in changes in suicide rates between areas with and without the intervention. The calculated potential effects of chain of care on national suicide rates were very small, even under unrealistically favorable conditions.
authors.affiliation: The Suicide Research and Prevention Unit, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. ir@sirus.no
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rossow
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mehlum
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gjertsen
authors.forename: Bjørn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Møller
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000628:therapy*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000092864:Suicide Prevention