The Components and Characteristics of Safety Management Plans Used to Reduce the Risk of Self Harm: A PRISMA Scoping Review

Abstract

Background The term “safety management planning” can be thought of as having evolved to constitute a number of different intervention types and components used across various clinical settings with various populations. This poses a challenge for effective communication between clinicians and likely variability in the clinical effectiveness of these interventions. Aim This PRISMA Scoping Review aims to review the literature to ascertain which intervention components and characteristics currently fall under this umbrella term as well as in which contexts the plans are delivered and who is involved in the process. Method Published research studies in PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, Science Direct and Web of Science were reviewed. Grey literature was searched using the databases Base and OpenGrey as well as through the search engine Google. Results 2853 abstracts were initially identified for screening and 74 pieces of literature informed the final review, with 54 derived from the published academic literature and 20 from the grey literature. Results indicated that the safety plans are used with a wide variety of populations and often include components related to identifying warning signs, internal coping strategies, accessing social professional support amongst other components. Conclusion Although most safety management plans described appeared to be based on specific interventions, there was a large amount of heterogeneity of components and characteristics observed. This was particularly the case with regards to safety management planning within the grey literature.