The Zero Suicide model, designed by Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, is associated with a reduction in suicide attempt rates among patients, according to research published April 7 in JAMA.
In 2001, Henry Ford Health was the first to implement the model, which targets patient screening, safety planning and mental health counseling. Past research has shown the model is associated with a nearly 80% reduction in suicide rates in behavioral health services.
Several health systems have adopted variations of the model, but little is known about how it affects suicide outcomes in outpatient mental health specialty settings.
To fill this research gap, a quality improvement study analyzed data from 2012 through 2019 from patients aged 13 or older who received mental health care at outpatient mental health sites. The locations spanned six health systems across five states.
Two health systems implemented the model before the observation period: Henry Ford Health and Seattle-based Kaiser Permanente Washington. Both maintained low or declining suicide attempt rates between 2012 and 2019.
The other four systems, all part of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, included its Castle Rock, Colo.-based region; Pasadena-based Southern California region; Oakland-based Northern California region; and Portland, Ore.-based Northwest region.
Before the model was implemented, baseline suicide attempt rates were at least 30 to 40 per 100,000 people across four of the health systems. By 2019, that rate decreased to less than 30 per 100,000 individuals at three of the health systems.
The fourth system saw a similar suicide attempt rate before and after implementation. Before the model, the median suicide attempt rate was 35 per 100,000 patients per month, and afterward, it was 34.3 per 100,000.
Based on the findings, the researchers recommend full implementation of the Zero Suicide model within outpatient mental health settings.
