FMH Innovation Qualité: SERO wins first place

Every year in Switzerland, around 1000 people commit suicide. The SERO project was initiated by Luzerner Psychiatrie AG (lups) and funded by Health Promotion Switzerland and other supporting and partner organisations as part of the national suicide prevention action plan. One of the four main measures initiated by the project is the SERO self-management app, which offers support before, during and after a suicide crisis. The app was developed in collaboration with BFH and with patients and their relatives, whose participatory involvement was sought for its further development. BFH’s Institute for Patient-Centered Digital Health (Kerstin Denecke) and the Applied Research & Development in Nursing (Caroline Gurtner) were involved in the project. It is the first suicide prevention app for German-speaking people. Free of charge, it is available in English, German, French and Italian in various app stores, and already has more than 1,500 registered users.

Patients, relatives and specialists involved

From the start and throughout the entire development process, the project team consistently involved users, in other words patients and their relatives or caregivers, who provided valuable feedback for the development of the app. This participatory and user-centered approach is expected to result in a high level of acceptance of SERO. During the development process, the parties involved also recognised the importance of the secure handling of personal data. The fact that this aspect has been taken into account further increases the trustworthiness of the app among the target group.

Real-time support for affected persons

The app integrates the visual PRISM^TM-S plate for self-assessment of suicide risk. This integration, combined with a safety plan, strengthens the ability of those affected to promote their self-management. Based on the shared safety plan, relatives can provide individual and targeted support to affected persons in real time. It is also possible to contact caregivers and emergency numbers. In addition, caregivers can draw up a resource plan in order to not lose sight of their own needs while caring for the affected person.

FMH Innovation Qualité

Non less than 56 quality projects from all over Switzerland applied for the 4^th edition of Innovation Qualité. The quality prize includes two categories, “Digital Innovation” and “Patient Safety”, and a “Special Jury Prize”. It is awarded by the Swiss Academy for Quality in Medicine SAQM, the quality organisation of the Swiss Medical Association FMH. The SAQM promotes all aspects of medical quality work with benefits for patients, relatives and doctors. It is committed to the development of a quality culture and a high standard of quality data and projects.