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 Institut für Medizininformatik I4MI
- Funding organisation Others
- Duration (planned) 01.01.2021 - 31.12.2024
- Project management Prof. Dr. Stephan Nüssli
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Stephan Nüssli
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Partner
Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz
Luzerner Psychiatrie LUPS - 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 includes the safety plan, emergency contacts and a digital PRISM-S disc for self-assessment of suicidality. If required, the image of the current suicide risk generated with the app can be sent easily and directly to trusted persons or therapeutic helpers. The SERO app is available for download from the App Store (Apple) and the Google Play Store (Android) since the end of 2022. Its quality is validated in the scope of the project by Health Promotion Switzerland. The app was developed at the Institute for Medical Informatics I4MI at Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH.
