Holly C. Wilcox, PhD; Hadi Kharrazi, MHI, MD, PhD; Renee F.
Wilson, MS; Rashelle J. Musci, PhD; Ryoko Susukida, PhD; Fardad Gharghabi, MD;
Allen Zhang, BS; Lawrence Wissow, MD, MPH; and Karen A. Robinson, PhD
Ann Intern Med. 2016 Oct 4. doi: 10.7326/M16-1568. [Epub ahead of
print]
Background: Linking national, state, and community data systems to
data from prevention programs could allow for longer-term assessment of
outcomes and evaluation of interventions to prevent suicide.
Purpose: To identify and describe data systems that can be linked
to data from prevention studies to advance youth suicide prevention research.
Data Sources: A systematic review, an environmental scan, and a
targeted search were conducted to identify prevention studies and potentially
linkable external data systems with suicide outcomes from January 1990 through
December 2015.
Study Selection: Studies and data systems had to be U.S.-based and
include persons aged 25 years or younger. Data systems also had to include data
on suicide, suicide attempt, or suicidal ideation.
Data Extraction: Information about participants, intervention
type, suicide outcomes, primary analytic method used for linkage, statistical
approach, analyses performed, and characteristics of data systems was
abstracted by 2 reviewers.
Data Synthesis: Of 47 studies (described in 59 articles)
identified in the systematic review, only 6 were already linked to data
systems. A total of 153 unique and potentially linkable data systems were
identified, but only 66 were classified as “fairly accessible” and had data
dictionaries available. Of the data systems identified, 19% were established
primarily for research, 11% for clinical care or operations, 29% for
administrative services (such as billing), and 52% for surveillance. About one
third (37%) provided national data, 12% provided regional data, 63% provided
state data, and 41% provided data below the state level (some provided coverage
for >1 geographic unit).
Limitation: Only U.S.-based studies published in English were
included.
Conclusion: There is untapped potential to evaluate and enhance
suicide prevention efforts by linking suicide prevention data with existing
data systems. However, sparse availability of data dictionaries and lack of
adherence to standard data elements limit this potential.
