Prevention of Suicidal Behavior with
Telemedicine in Patients with a Recent Suicide
Attempt: Is a 6-month Intervention Long
Enough?
ANDREA GABILONDO, MD, PHD, MPH ,EDURNE ARISTEGI, MD, ANA GONZALEZ-
PINTO, MD, PHD, JOS
E MARTIN ZURIMENDI, MD, MAIDER MATEOS DEL PINO, MSTAT,
RAQUEL ROCA, BSN, I
~
NAKI ZORRILLA, MD, PHD AND ALVARO IRUIN, MD
Objective: To analyze the results of a 6-month telephone follow-up program for
the prevention of suicidality in adult patients discharged from three general
hospitals after a suicide attempt. Results are compared with traditional programs
lasting 12 months or more.
Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, study with the control group. Patients
in the intervention group received five protocolized telephone calls which were
added to their usual treatment. Those in the control group only received usual
treatment. Each patient was followed up for 12 months.
Results: A total of 123 patients were included in the intervention group and 463 in
the control group. 57.7% received at least three calls. Patients in the intervention
group took longer to perform a reattempt (p = .05). The percentage of those who
did a reattempt (p = .67) and the number of reattempts per patient (p = .66) did not
differ between groups. Those in the intervention group showed higher percentages
of adherence to the outpatient follow-up (p < .001).
Conclusion: The intervention was well accepted and showed improved percentages
of adherence to outpatient follow-up; however, the results in the prevention of
suicidality were worse than those obtained by programs lasting 12 months or
more. It is advisable to maintain the telephone follow-up for a minimum of
12 months.
Suicide attempts are one of the main risk fac-
tors for completed suicide. Almost half of
those who die by suicide had a previous his-
tory of suicide attempt, and mortality rates
after an attempt reach 10%–15% in 2 years.
They are also good predictors of short-term
suicidality since a significant percentage of
future reattempts occur in the first 3–
ANDREA GABILONDO, AND ALVARO IRUIN,
Outpatient Public Psychiatric Network of
Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain and
Biodonostia Research Institute, Basque Country,
Spain; EDURNE ARISTEGI, AND JOS
E MARTIN
ZURIMENDI, Hospital Universitario de Araba,
Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain; ANA
GONZALEZ-PINTO, AND I
~
NAKI ZORRILLA , Hospital
de Galdakao, Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain
and BioAraba Research Institute, Basque Country,
Spain; MAIDER MATEOS DEL PINO, Hospital de
Galdakao, Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain;
RAQUEL ROCA, Consejo Sanitario, Osakidetza,
Basque Country, Spain.
Address correspondence to Andrea Gabi-
londo, Outpatient Public Psychiatric Network of
Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, Basque Country, Jose
MªSalaberria 9. 2010. Donostia. Spain; E-mail:
andrea.gabilondocuellar@osakidetza.net
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 1
© 2019 The American Association of Suicidology
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12576