Developing a service taxonomy for suicide prevention in Australia

Introduction The human and economic impact of suicide is significant. Services for persons experiencing suicidal distress (i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, behaviours, and attempts), as well as their support persons, are pivotal to reducing suicide rates. However, in Australia, guidance for service planning specific to suicide prevention is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a service taxonomy for suicide prevention as the first step in the development of an Australian needs-based planning model for suicide prevention for persons aged 12 years and over.MethodsPotential service models for inclusion were found in the literature. The scope was: services, programs, initiatives, or campaigns that specifically aim to address or prevent suicidal distress and target whole populations, sub-populations, groups, families, and/or individuals. An initial draft taxonomy was developed based on search findings. Feedback was provided by persons working within service planning, government and policy related roles, academics, clinicians, and persons with lived experience. A final search was conducted to locate further information to accurately describe all service models for inclusion and their evidence base.ResultsFeedback suggested that the scope of the taxonomy should be expanded to include services related to other areas of well-being, with a greater focus on upstream supports. New taxonomy items were added to reflect, for example, the need to ensure systemic change (e.g., workforce development), reduce drivers of distress (e.g., social and economic support services), and ensure service linkage and care continuity (e.g., service navigation). The final taxonomy included seven service streams, covering the full breadth of care required to meet suicide prevention needs; there were 39 nested service categories and 41 service elements.ConclusionThe service taxonomy may be used to inform planning and policy related decisions and is an important component of the overarching needs-based planning model. The service taxonomy may be refined to include sub-population specific services for populations disproportionately impacted by suicide. Further research is required to ensure the evidence base of all included service models is robust.