Citation

Barkley J. R. I. Med. J. (2013) 2023; 106(5): 54-57.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Rhode Island Medical Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

37195164

Abstract

Suicide is a serious public health concern and leading cause of death among individuals 10-64 years old in the United States and Rhode Island.1 Suicide deaths only reflect part of the problem as suicide-related morbidity also contributes to loss of productivity, healthcare costs, and long-term impacts within communities.2 Through the Rhode Island Violent Death Reporting System (RIVDRS), the Rhode Island Depart- ment of Health (RIDOH) has collected data on suicides occurring in the state since 2004. Data are reported as part of the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System and variables collected include demographics, toxicology, injury mechanism, and circumstances associated with the death. Complete mortality data in RIVDRS lag by approximately two years, thus timely data for suicide-related morbidity is help- ful to inform prevention activities. Since June 2020, all 10 of Rhode Island's acute care hospitals have reported emergency department (ED) visit data into RIDOH's Electronic Sur- veillance System for the Early Notification of Community- Based Epidemics (ESSENCE) syndromic surveillance sys- tem. The suicide-related syndrome definition in ESSENCE aims to identify visits relating to suicide attempts and/or suicidal ideation based on chief complaint text and discharge diagnoses codes that are reported with the visit.3 These data can estimate suicide-related morbidity and detect potential changes in a timely manner.

In this article, characteristics of suicide decedents are summarized and compared across the two most recent five- year time periods in RIVDRS. Characteristics of suicide- related ED visits during the two most recent completed years are also compared..

Language: en