Citation

Verger P, Dany L, Bouhnik AD, Coruble G, Prodhon H, Obadia Y. Sante Publique 2004; 16(3): 541-550.

Vernacular Title

Pratiques de prise en charge des jeunes suicidants en Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur.

Affiliation

Observatoire Regional de la Sante Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, 23, rue Stanislas Torrents, 13006 Marseille, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, SFSP)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15625809

Abstract

Suicide attempts (SA) represent a significant public health problem and raise questions wih respect to the best, most appropriate methods for triage and the delivery of care. A prospective investigation to evaluate the quality of SA health care was carried out over a three month period within 18 hospitals having an emergency care unit. A total of 393 youth having attempted suicide were triaged and treated by these establishments during the period of the survey, with a large majority of them being girls (77%). Medicinal intoxication was the most often used method (85.1%). The criteria and regulations relating to the initial health care provided upon the patient's arrival were most followed, contrary to those concerning hospitalisation modalities and preparation for release following treatment. Factors explaining the implementation of these criteria were related to the type of emergency unit, the presence of a mental disorder and the duration of the patient's hospitalisation. These results show that several aspects of health care provided to young suicide attempters should be improved in Provence.