Year: 2009 Source: Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, v.39, no.6, (December 2009), p.614-622 SIEC No: 20100142

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 2 aims: to calculate the potential effects of chain of care on reducing suicide rates; & to assess whether suicide rates decreased more in areas where chain of care had been implemented than in other areas. The authors observed no differences in changes in suicide rates between areas with & without the intervention. The calculated potential effects of chain of care on national suicide rates were very small, even under unrealistically favourable conditions. (42 refs.)