THE INVESTIGATION OF THE USE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR GERIATRIC PATIENTS DUE TO SUICIDE

Abstract

Introduction: Ageing is a physiological process, and inevitable psychological and physical changes occur after the age of 65 in every individual. Elderly suicide is a crucial public health concern that is still largely ignored worldwide. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of emergency medical services by geriatric patients due to suicide.

Materials and Method: We obtained the demographic and clinical information of the patients from the records. We retrospectively examined the data of all patients, who are 65 and older, enrolled in Turkey for the suicide attempt between September 2018 and August 2019.

Results: Our study included 769 cases. There was a statistically significant difference between the two genders in terms of the number of completed suicides (p <0.001). The most common suicide method was drug use (30.8%). In total, 36.7% of women and 62.7% of men used violent methods for suicide. We found a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of violent method usage (p <0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the age groups in terms of completed suicide percentages (p = 0.008), and the cases reported from urban and rural areas in terms of mortality (p <0.001).

Conclusion: The percentage of completed suicides increases with age, and the careful evaluation of suicide attempts is vital in reducing the risk of suicide-related death. The process starting from the moment of notification of suicide attempt to the emergency dispatch centre must be managed effectively and quickly by trained and experienced medical teams.