According to a recent study, 30 percent of future suicide attempts can be reduced by a simple follow-up phone call after a suicidal patient is discharged from a hospital.
The study included nearly 1,400 patients in eight locations across the United States who were provided with interventions that included specialized screening, safety planning guidance and follow-up phone calls.
ColoradoSPH professor, Dr. Emmy Betz, is one of the study's co-authors.
"Telephone follow-up programs offer a great way to help bridge an ED [emergency department] visit to outpatient mental health care and hopefully save lives," Betz said.
"It would be great to see such programs become more widely implemented. Suicide is a leading cause of death, especially in Colorado, and a shortage of inpatient and outpatient mental health care options make innovative approaches like telephone counseling even more attractive," she said.
Read the full story at Consumer Health Day
April 23, 2024