Zero Suicides Is the Goal

"Prior to that time, Henry Ford had a suicide rate that was seven times higher than the national average. Within four years after implementing the program, however, patient suicides dropped 75 percent.[1] That was good, but not good enough. The goal was perfection-zero suicides. And Henry Ford achieved it. In 2009, when JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported on the program, there hadn't been a single suicide at Henry Ford in two-and-a-half years.[2]"

"That success was the inspiration for the Zero Suicide movement, which today is being adopted by a growing number of hospitals, mental health clinics, and other healthcare providers, with favorable results. For instance, researchers assessed practices at 110 mental health clinics in New York State and found that those most closely allied to the Zero Suicide model had the fewest suicide attempts and deaths.[3]"

"Another study reached the same conclusion. Based on information pertaining to 604 people in Australia who had made one or more suicide attempts, researchers determined that those who received multilevel care according to the Zero Suicide framework made fewer subsequent attempts than others. This was true across all groups regardless of demographic differences.[4] The Zero Suicide model has seven key elements."

Zero Suicide is a healthcare framework aimed at ending patient suicides through system-wide change. Henry Ford Health System launched a program in 2001 and reduced patient suicides by 75 percent within four years, later recording no suicides for two-and-a-half years. The model has spread to hospitals and mental health clinics with studies showing fewer attempts and deaths at clinics aligned with the model. A study of 604 people in Australia found multilevel care under the framework led to fewer subsequent attempts across demographic groups. The model contains seven elements beginning with leadership to create a blame-free culture and learning from failures.

Read at Psychology Today