The University Hospitals of Marseille and their partners are launching the VigilanS device, with the aim of reducing suicide recidivism.
- The idea is to set up a watch, to break the feeling of isolation and abandonment of people with suicidal thoughts.
- The first evaluations have shown that in the year following a suicide attempt, we go from 1% mortality to 0.6% thanks to this type of monitoring device.
In order to prevent suicide and reduce recidivism, the University Hospitals of Marseille and their partners are launching the VigilanS system. It will be tested beforehand in the Bouches-du-Rhône, before being deployed throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. This initiative is supported by the Psychiatric Emergency Department of the Timone Hospital.
Ensure that recourse is possible even after discharge from hospital
The idea is to set up a watch, to break the feeling of isolation and abandonment of people with suicidal thoughts. In this sense, a set of measures and tools will make it possible to maintain the link with the patient, and to assure him of possible recourse in the event of difficulty or crisis, even after his discharge from the hospital.
In the emergency room, an information letter and a small card will be given to patients who have tried to end their lives. Their consent will be collected in order to be able to contact them later, by mail or by telephone. On the card will appear a toll-free number, landline and mobile, accompanied by this message: “We are thinking of you, stay connected!”.
Twenty lives saved
The hotline, open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will be provided by a psychologist and a nurse. They will also contact people according to a specific call schedule, to inquire about their psychological state and condition. If it is impossible to reach them by telephone, postcards are sent once a month for four months with a handwritten message, a tangible sign of the authenticity of the approach. “Discreet marks of attention, they are intended by a non-intrusive way to remind that there are, in case of need, people to turn to”specify the health professionals in a press release.
The first evaluations have shown that in the year following a suicide attempt, we go from 1% mortality to 0.6% thanks to this type of monitoring device. There are approximately 2,000 suicide attempts per year in Marseille, and 4,000 to 5,000 attempts in the Bouches-du-Rhône. In the region, the number of people concerned by the deployment of the program could ultimately reach 10,000 patients. For example, for 5,000 people, the change from 1% to 0.6% represents about twenty lives saved.
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