Georgina Sutherland1, Allison Milner1, Jeremy Dwyer1,2, Lyndal Bugeja2,3, Alan Woodward4, Jo Robinson5, Jane Pirkis1. 1. Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria. 2. Coroners Prevention Unit, Coroners Court of Victoria. 3. Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Victoria. 4. Lifeline Research Foundation, Australian Capital Territory. 5. Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Victoria.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The Victorian Suicide Register (VSR) is a state-based suicide surveillance system that contains detailed information on people who die by suicide and the circumstances surrounding their death. In this paper, we provide an overview of the VSR and then describe the evaluation, which used the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for surveillance system evaluation as a framework. METHODS: The evaluation drew on three data sources to assess whether the VSR: i) embodies the attributes of a good public health surveillance system; and ii) can be used to inform community-based suicide prevention efforts. RESULTS: There was a high level of acceptability and enthusiasm for having an accessible data collection that can stimulate local action on suicide prevention planning. One of the key challenges identified was data quality, particularly around those data collected in the course of death investigations that are not designed for surveillance purposes. CONCLUSION: The VSR fills an important gap in the sustained and systematic collection of comprehensive information on suicide, with some key challenges identified. Implications for public health: Findings from the evaluation provide important strategic information for national and international jurisdictions seeking to establish their own suicide registers.
OBJECTIVE: The Victorian Suicide Register (VSR) is a state-based suicide surveillance system that contains detailed information on people who die by suicide and the circumstances surrounding their death. In this paper, we provide an overview of the VSR and then describe the evaluation, which used the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for surveillance system evaluation as a framework. METHODS: The evaluation drew on three data sources to assess whether the VSR: i) embodies the attributes of a good public health surveillance system; and ii) can be used to inform community-based suicide prevention efforts. RESULTS: There was a high level of acceptability and enthusiasm for having an accessible data collection that can stimulate local action on suicide prevention planning. One of the key challenges identified was data quality, particularly around those data collected in the course of death investigations that are not designed for surveillance purposes. CONCLUSION: The VSR fills an important gap in the sustained and systematic collection of comprehensive information on suicide, with some key challenges identified. Implications for public health: Findings from the evaluation provide important strategic information for national and international jurisdictions seeking to establish their own suicide registers.
Authors: Justin Dwyer; Jeremy Dwyer; Richard Hiscock; Clare O'Callaghan; Keryn Taylor; Ciara Millar; Ashne Lamb; Lyndal Bugeja Journal: Aust N Z J Public Health Date: 2021-07-12 Impact factor: 3.755
Authors: Angela Clapperton; Matthew John Spittal; Jeremy Dwyer; Andrew Garrett; Kairi Kõlves; Stuart Leske; Ciara Millar; Bronwen Edwards; Victor Stojcevski; David Robert Crompton; Jane Pirkis Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2021-11-30 Impact factor: 4.157