J Korean Soc Clin Toxicol.  2021 Jun;19(1):8-16. 10.22537/jksct.2021.19.1.8.

Analysis of social factors influencing authenticity of suicide for patient who attempt to suicide in emergency department: Retrospective study based Post-suicidal Care Program data

• Ji JG
• Kim YW
• Kang JH
• Jang YD

• KMID: 2525857
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22537/jksct.2021.19.1.8

Abstract

Purpose
This study was conducted to analyze the social factors influencing the ‘authenticity of suicidal ideation’ based post-suicidal care programs in emergency departments (EDs).
Methods
This retrospective study was an analysis using the data of patients who had attempted suicide and visited the ED in tertiary urban hospitals from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. The variables examined included gender, age, history of previous psychiatric disease, suicide method, and the number of previous attempts. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing the registration rate for the community-based post-suicide care program.
Results
Overall,1,460 suicides were analyzed, 177 (1.16%) showed a high authenticity of suicide. The social factors influencing the authenticity of suicide intent were the unmarried status of men and women, joblessness, history of mental illnesses, more than two previous suicide attempts, the influence of alcohol, and an attempt to commit suicide after midnight more specifically between 24:00 to 6:00 hours in the morning (p<.05). The factors influencing the severity of the condition of high authenticity suicide patients were low Glasgow coma scores (12 points or less), lactate levels, and oxygen saturation observed in the patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment and died (p<.05).
Conclusion
The need for evidence-based preventive measures and early assessment tools at the emergency medicine level is emphasized to reduce the rate of suicide attempts. If the results of this study are used in the management of suicide prevention, the evaluation of the authenticity of suicide intent will be more likely to be made at the emergency medicine level, allowing the severity to be assessed earlier.

Keyword

Emergency department; Hospital; Suicide; Glasgow coma scale