@article{ref1,
title="Loss to follow-up in a population-wide brief contact intervention to prevent suicide attempts - the VigilanS program, France",
journal="PLoS one",
year="2022",
author="Fossi, Larissa Djembi and Debien, Christophe and Demarty, Anne-Laure and Vaiva, Guillaume and Messiah, Antoine",
volume="17",
number="3",
pages="e0263379-e0263379",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Brief Contact Interventions (BCIs) after a suicide attempt (SA) are an important element of prevention against SA and suicide. VigilanS generalizes to a whole French region a BCI combining resource cards, telephone calls and sending postcards, according to a predefined algorithm. However, a major obstacle to such real-life intervention is the loss of contact during follow-up. Here, we analyze the occurrence of loss of follow-up (LFU) and compare characteristics of patients LFU with follow-up completers. <br><br>METHODS: The study concerned patients included in VigilanS over the period from 1st January 2015 to 31 December 2018, with an end of follow-up on 1st July 2019. We performed a series of descriptive analysis and logistic regressions. The outcome was the loss to follow-up, relative to the 6th month call marking the end of the follow-up; the predictive variables were the characteristics of the patient at entry and during follow-up. Age and sex were considered as adjustment variables. <br><br>RESULTS: 11879 inclusions occurred during the study period, corresponding to 10666 different patients. The mean age was 40.6 ± 15 years. More than a third were non-first suicide attempters (46.6%) and the most frequent means of suicide was by voluntary drug intoxication (83.2%). 8335 patients were LFU. After simple and multiple regression, a significant relationship with loss to follow-up was identified among non-first suicide attempters, alcohol consumers, patients having no companion on arrival at the emergency room, patients who didn't make or receive any calls. An increased stay in hospital after a SA was a protective factor against loss of follow-up. <br><br>CONCLUSION: A majority of patients were lost to follow-up by the expected surveillance time of 6 months. Characteristics of lost patients will help focusing efforts to improve retention in the VigilanS program and might give insights for BCI implemented elsewhere.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1932-6203",
doi="10.1371/journal.pone.0263379",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263379"
}