Authors (including presenting author) :
Lee TK(1), Li HL(1), Wong KH(1), Li H(1), Chen MY(1), Lee SY(1), Wong TH(2), Au Yueng HS(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Psychiatry, Tai Po Hospital, (2)Department of Psychiatry, North District Hospital
Introduction :
In the past, suicide prevention maybe less emphasized on “self-help” element, whereas Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) is a brief (20-45 minutes to complete), evidence-based intervention which emphasizes on individuals’ autonomous personal coping actions and to activate their unique strengths and resources in dealing with suicidal crises. Service users are encouraged to discuss with nurses to collaboratively develop an individualized Safety Plan (SP) with following elements included: “Recognition of Warning Signs”; “Internal Coping Strategies”; “Socialization Strategies for Distraction and Support”; “Social Contacts for Assistance in Resolving Suicidal Crises”; “Professional and Agency Contacts to Help Resolve Suicidal Crises”; “Means Restriction”. SPI has been implemented in both inpatient units and Community Psychiatric Service (CPS) as a core intervention for the management of patient suicide in Department of Psychiatry.
Objectives :
(1) To lower the risk of patient suicide in inpatient and community settings; (2) To empower patients and enhance their ability to survive from future suicidal crises.
Methodology :
A mixed-method design had been adopted. The quantitative segment involved asking service users who were discharged (>28 calendar days) with SP developed to complete a telephone survey with 2 YES or NO questions, including (i) “Do you agree SPI could minimize your future suicidal ideation?”; (ii) “Will you adopt SP to manage your future suicidal crisis?”. Besides, focus group and telephone interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data.
Result & Outcome :
From March to November 2019, 34 (Male=13, Female=21, Age=14-84) out of 53 discharged patients with SP developed had completed telephone surveys. Majority of the respondents (n=30, 88.2%) indicated “YES” for both questions and the rest (n=4, 11.8%) replied “NO” for both questions. In the qualitative segment, 5 inpatients (Male=2, Female=3) were recruited to form a focus group and 5 (Male=2, Female=3) service users followed-up by CPS were interviewed over phone. There were 3 themes identified regarding their perceptions towards SP, which are (1) activating one’s personal strength in dealing with suicidal crisis; (2) helping to identify “reasons to live with” (e.g. their relatives); (3) facilitating a “cool-headed” state upon suicidal crisis through pre-decided algorithm of coping methods. SPI is an effective, time-efficient and systematic means which could enable service users to deal with suicidal crises by utilize their personal strength and individualized coping strategies. The intervention is easy to be adopted and could be implemented in different settings.
