SERO – Suicide Prevention Uniformly Regionally Organised
Over 700,000 people worldwide take their own lives every year. In a bid to reduce suicides and suicide attempts, Lucerne Psychiatry launched the SERO project in collaboration with Health Promotion Switzerland and other partners.
Factsheet
- Lead school School of Engineering and Computer Science
- Institute Institute for Patient-centered Digital Health (PCDH)
- Funding organisation Others
- Duration (planned) 01.01.2021 - 31.12.2024
- Project management Prof. Dr. Kerstin Denecke
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Kerstin Denecke
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Partner
Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz
Luzerner Psychiatrie AG - Keywords Suicide prevention, mental health, self-management, medical informatics
Situation
In early 2021, Lucerne Psychiatry joined forces with Health Promotion Switzerland and other supporting and partner organisations to launch the SERO project, which stands for “Suicide Prevention Uniformly Regionally Organised”. The goal of the SERO project is to reduce suicides and suicide attempts as well as the associated use of health services in the catchment area of Lucerne Psychiatry. Furthermore, it seeks to strengthen the self-management skills of suicidal persons and their relatives.
Course of action
Four suicide prevention strategies are implemented in the SERO project: PRISM-S courses, which provide professionals with key skills for the professional use of the PRISM-S method in clinical practice; a safety plan that serves as orientation during suicidal crises; ensa courses on suicide prevention; and the SERO app. This self-management app enables suicidal persons and their relatives to take appropriate steps to prevent suicide at any time. The app was developed and refined at the Institute for Patient-centered Digital Health at Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH.
Result
For people who are suicidal, the app includes the safety plan, emergency contacts and a digital PRISM-S disc for self-assessment of suicidality. The SERO app is available for download from the App Store (Apple) and the Google Play Store (Android) since the beginning of 2023. Its quality is validated in the scope of the project by Health Promotion Switzerland. Version 2.0 was released at the end of 2023. It is now also aimed at caregivers and offers them concrete support, for example information on help services. Users can also create a resource plan. This is meant to help caregivers protect themselves from overexertion. People at risk of suicide can also share their safety plan with their loved ones directly in the app so that they have specific information on how they can best help in a crisis situation.
