The "Suicide Guard Rail": A Structural Intervention for Hospitals Avoid Suicides by Jumping From Heights Buildings

August 30, 2016 updated by: Juerg H. Beer, Kantonsspital Baden

Background: Suicides by jumping from the high buildings of acute hospitals are dramatic events which are highly traumatizing to families, staff and fellow pts. In the 10 years from1995 to 2010 the investigators have counted 10 suicide cases despite extensive measures taken to predict and avoid them.

The investigators hypothesized that constructive measures at the windows that would render access more difficult could discourage spontaneous suicidal behaviour and would reduce the suicide rates.

Intervention: Starting in 6/2004, a 20 mm diameter metal guard-rail (which resists 250kg) was installed at each window of a 360 bed acute hospital at a height of 113cm, 18cm above the window parapet with the aim to visually, psychologically and physically discourage potential suicidal impulses.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

10

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

in-patients and out-patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • person at risk for suicide

Exclusion Criteria:

  • no

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Suicide Jumps over ten years
Time Frame: Between 1995 and 2010, measurement 180 months
Suicide jumps from the heights of acute hospitals are dramatic events which are highly traumatizing to families, staff, and fellow patients. From 1995 to 2004, 10 suicide jumps occurred at the investigators institution despite extensive measures taken to predict and avoid them. The investigators hypothesized that specific barriers rendering access to windows more difficult could discourage spontaneous suicidal behaviour and reduce the suicide rates. Starting in 6/2004, a 20 mm diameter metal guard-rail with a tension strength of 250kg/in2 was installed at each window of the investigators 360 bed acute hospital at a height of 113cm, 18cm above the window sill with the aim to psychologically and physically deter potential suicidal impulses.
Between 1995 and 2010, measurement 180 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Kantonsspital Baden

Collaborators

Police department at Baden

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 21, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

September 7, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 7, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2016

Last Verified

August 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB 11/06

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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