Analysis of the completeness of self-harm and suicide records in Pernambuco, Brazil, 2014–2016

Abstract

Introduction Suicides and suicide attempts are major public health problems, and coping strategies are hampered by insufficient or inadequate notifications. Data accuracy influences the formulation of public and mental health policies and suicide prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to analyze the completeness of self-harm and suicide records in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, 2014–2016. Methods This is an evaluative study with a descriptive design. The data were collected from suicide attempt records from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and suicide records from the Mortality Information System. Probabilistic linkage was used to relate these databases, and the degree of completeness of the variables was calculated. Completeness was classified into the following categories: good (≥ 75.1%), regular (50.1%–75.0%), low (25.1%–50.0%), and very low (≤ 25.0%). Results In the analyzed period, 1,404 notifications of self-harm were studied, with an overall mean completeness of 86.2%. In addition, 1,050 suicide records were analyzed, with an overall mean completeness of 95.8%. Most variables referring to suicide attempts had good completeness, with the exception of the variables “occupation” and “education.” The completeness of all suicide-related variables was rated as good. After linkage, a significant improvement was observed in the degree of completeness of the variable “occupation”. Conclusion The results of this study showed that the completeness of self-harm and suicide variables improved from the first to the last year. The integration of data from different information systems provides an opportunity to improve suicide prevention programs and the quality of available information. Continuous efforts to increase the completeness and reliability of suicide surveillance systems are fundamental to describe the epidemiological profile and, consequently, plan preventive actions, in addition to contributing to the development and reformulation of strategies aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to suicidal behavior.

Análise dos feminicídios no estado de Pernambuco: violência de gênero e invisibilidade

“…Assim, acrescentado as limitações de interoperabilidade existente entre os SIS, o relacionamento de banco de dados ou linkage têm sido amplamente utilizado para complementar as informações de interesse da vigilância em saúde e refinar a qualidade e confiabilidade dos dados (FONSÊCA et al, 2022;MAIA et al, 2017;PERES et al, 2016 Nas publicações internacionais destacam-se a relevância das aplicações do linkage em análises situacionais de forma macroestrutural. A associação com a mineração de texto e deep learning em registros policiais e da saúde constatou a possibilidade de utilização desses métodos para previsão e gestão de conflitos em violência doméstica e familiar (KARYSTIANIS et al, 2021).…”