Prianka Padmanathan
Dr Prianka Padmanathan is a clinical academic in Psychiatry who is undertaking a PhD at the University of Bristol investigating suicide and self-harm amongst people with alcohol and/or opioid dependence. Alongside her PhD, Prianka is working in Addiction Psychiatry in Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust as a Core Psychiatry Trainee. She holds an MSc in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Development of a suicide prevention intervention for Emergency Department attendees presenting with self-harm and substance misuse: a Delphi method study
Background: The provision of safe and effective care for Emergency Department (ED) attendees presenting with self-harm in the context of substance misuse is often challenging. Our study draws on existing literature and the expertise of staff and people with lived experience to develop a brief suicide prevention intervention for this population.
Methods: We used a modified Delphi method to develop the intervention, which was comprised of three components: 1) a systematic review; 2) telephone discussions to gather stakeholder opinion (17 participants, May-June 2020); 3) an online survey with three rounds to seek consensus on the intervention’s core components (46 participants invited, July-August 2020). We included survey items with a pooled agreement rate of 80% or more.
Results: The Delphi survey consisted of 5 domains: intervention timing, content, delivery, ongoing engagement, and outcomes for a trial. Round 1 included thirty-four items. The response rates for rounds 2 and 3 were 86% and 81% respectively. By round 3, consensus had been reached on all but five items. From the outset, the highest levels of agreement were in the “intervention content” and “trial outcome” domains.
Discussion: The developed intervention is currently being piloted.
Funding: Above and Beyond Charities, MRC Addiction Research Clinical Training
Presentation video: