Please note this application is under active development. If you spot any errors or something isn't working, please contact us at evidence.service@wales.nhs.uk.
Systematic Review
"Active follow-up care following an emergency department visit for a suicide attempt is common; however, it is unclear what type (e.g., text message, home visit) or timing (e.g., 24 hours, within 72 hours after emergency department discharge) of interventions is most effective for preventing further self-harm in people younger than 18 years. The objective of this review is to summarize the evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of active contact and follow-up interventions, and the timing and duration of care, for children and adolescents (younger than 18 years) who present to emergency care for suicide attempts or suicide ideations."
"For children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department for suicide attempts or ideation, telephone-based follow-up care initiated within 1 week of discharge may not affect the number of people who completed the full course of postdischarge treatment, the mean number of sessions attended, or the number of suicide deaths. This finding was based on evidence from 2 systematic reviews, each with 1 primary study relevant to this report. The small sample sizes of these studies (N = 64 and N = 97) and their limited or unclear quality should be considered when interpreting these results.
No studies were found that evaluated the clinical effectiveness of other methods of active follow-up care or of different time durations of follow-up care for children and adolescents who present to emergency care for suicide attempts or suicide ideations that met our criteria for this review.
No evidence-based guidelines were identified that provided recommendations about timing, modality, and which health care professionals should be involved in follow-up care for children and adolescents who present to emergency care for suicide attempts or ideations that met our criteria for this review."
"The evidence is scarce about active contact and follow-up care in children and adolescents (younger than 18 years) who present to the emergency department with attempted suicide or suicide ideation but are not subsequently admitted."