On World Suicide Prevention Day, NASP is launching a new priority support tool for suicide prevention interventions. The tool is designed to help municipalities, regions, government agencies and other stakeholders prioritise between interventions and strengthen suicide prevention efforts.
Municipalities, regions, government agencies and other organisations working in suicide prevention play a key role in preventing suicide. However, resources are often limited, and it can be difficult to determine which interventions should be prioritised. To address this challenge, NASP is launching the priority support tool as a new feature of Respi, a web-based resource for suicide prevention interventions.
A tool for implementing the national strategy in practice
The priority support tool compiles and ranks suicide prevention interventions based on factors such as scientific evidence, feasibility, cost, scalability and relevance to the Swedish context. The interventions are organised according to six priority areas identified in Sweden's National Strategy for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Goal area 6).
"There is a demand for practical support that helps translate knowledge into action. We hope the priority support tool will make it easier to identify interventions that are feasible to implement within a particular organisation," says Vladimir Carli , Head of Unit at NASP, Karolinska Institutet.
The aim of the priority support tool is to make the existing body of knowledge on suicide prevention more useful for organisations that plan, prioritise and develop their suicide prevention efforts. The resource is intended to support decision-making on the selection of interventions at national, regional and local levels, as well as among other organisations working in suicide prevention.
"The priority support tool provides a common foundation for decision-making and can contribute to more effective suicide prevention efforts across the country," says Gergö Hadlaczky , Head of Unit at NASP, Region Stockholm.
Built on research and practical experience
The prioritisation process is based on systematic literature reviews and an extensive expert process that combines scientific evidence with practical experience from Swedish organisations and services.
The priority support tool was developed by NASP in collaboration with the National Coordinator for Suicide Prevention, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
