Evaluating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of an Australian Safety Planning Smartphone Application: A Pilot Study Within a Tertiary Mental Health Service.

Abstract

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a suicide prevention smartphone application.MethodThirty‐six non‐Aboriginal Australians aged between 16 and 42 years (67% female) were recruited from a tertiary mental health service where they were receiving treatment for suicide risk. Participants were asked to use the BeyondNow safety planning smartphone application to manage their suicide safety plan during a 2‐month trial, as an adjunct to treatment as usual. A survey battery designed to measure feasibility and effectiveness of the smartphone app plus treatment as usual intervention was completed at baseline and follow‐up.ResultsA vast majority of participants used the app to view and edit their safety plans and reported that the app was easy to use. A reduction was observed in participant severity and intensity of suicide ideation, and suicide‐related coping increased significantly. No significant changes were observed in suicide resilience.ConclusionsThe BeyondNow safety planning smartphone application was shown to be feasible and effective as an adjunct to mental health treatment among patients at risk of suicide.