Author:
da Fonsêca Jéssica Ramalho,de Oliveira Conceição Maria,de Castro Cláudia Cristina Lima,da Costa Heitor Victor Veiga,Galvão Pauliana Valéria Machado,da Costa Ceballos Albanita Gomes,do Bonfim Cristine Vieira
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Suicides and suicide attempts are major public health problems, and coping strategies are hampered by insufficient or inadequate notifications. Data accuracy influences the formulation of public and mental health policies and suicide prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to analyze the completeness of self-harm and suicide records in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, 2014–2016.
Methods
This is an evaluative study with a descriptive design. The data were collected from suicide attempt records from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and suicide records from the Mortality Information System. Probabilistic linkage was used to relate these databases, and the degree of completeness of the variables was calculated. Completeness was classified into the following categories: good (≥ 75.1%), regular (50.1%–75.0%), low (25.1%–50.0%), and very low (≤ 25.0%).
Results
In the analyzed period, 1,404 notifications of self-harm were studied, with an overall mean completeness of 86.2%. In addition, 1,050 suicide records were analyzed, with an overall mean completeness of 95.8%. Most variables referring to suicide attempts had good completeness, with the exception of the variables “occupation” and “education.” The completeness of all suicide-related variables was rated as good. After linkage, a significant improvement was observed in the degree of completeness of the variable “occupation”.
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that the completeness of self-harm and suicide variables improved from the first to the last year. The integration of data from different information systems provides an opportunity to improve suicide prevention programs and the quality of available information. Continuous efforts to increase the completeness and reliability of suicide surveillance systems are fundamental to describe the epidemiological profile and, consequently, plan preventive actions, in addition to contributing to the development and reformulation of strategies aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to suicidal behavior.
Funder
coordenação de aperfeiçoamento de pessoal de nível superior
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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