- Title
- Postcards from the EDge: 24-Month outcomes of a randomised controlled trial for hospital-treated self-poisoning
- Creator
- Carter, Gregory L.; Clover, Kerrie; Whyte, Ian M.; Dawson, Andrew H.; D'Este, Catherine
- Relation
- British Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 191, Issue 6, p. 548-553
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.038406
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2007
- Description
- Background: Repetition of self-poisoning is common. Aims: To report the 24-month outcomes of a non-obligatory postcard intervention (plus treatment as usual) compared with treatment as usual. Method: In a randomised-controlled trial (Zelen design) conducted in Newcastle, Australia, eight postcards were sent to participants over a 12-month period. The principal outcomes were the proportion of participants with one or more repeat episodes of self-poisoning and the number of repeat episodes per person. Results: No significant reduction was observed in the proportion of people repeating self-poisoning in the intervention group (21.2%, 95% CI 17.0-25.3) compared with the control group (22.8%, 95% CI 18.7-27.0; χ²=0.32, d.f.=1, P = 0.57); the difference between groups was -1.7% (95% CI - 7.5 to 4.2). There was a significant reduction in the rate of repetition, with an incidence risk ratio of 0.49 (95% CI 0.33-0.73). Conclusions: A postcard intervention maintained the halving of the rate of repetition of hospital-treated self-poisoning events over a 2-year period, although it did not significantly reduce the proportion of individuals who repeated self-poisoning.
- Subject
- self-poisoning; postcard intervention; zelen design; repetition
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/44507
- Identifier
- uon:5783
- Identifier
- ISSN:0007-1250
- Language
- eng
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