Use of Data Linkage Methods to Investigate Healthcare Interactions in Individuals Who Self-harm and Die by Suicide: A Scoping Review.

Objectives: In this review, the primary objective was to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the themes and findings of studies that used data linkage methods to examine the healthcare engagement of individuals with self-harming and suicidal tendencies. Additionally, the review sought to identify gaps in the existing literature and suggest directions for future research in this area.

Methods: This review utilized the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. Employing a scoping review methodology, 27 papers were analyzed.

Results: One particularly common data source is the routine information collected by government agencies. However, some studies augment this information with newly collected data. Compared to other research methods, data linkage has the advantage of incorporating participants from diverse backgrounds into the analysis. Most relevant studies employing data linkage methods have focused primarily on identifying sociodemographic correlates of self-harm, suicide deaths, and healthcare interactions. Additionally, cluster analysis has been used in certain studies to identify patterns of healthcare utilization within affected populations.

Conclusions: Data linkage offers a promising approach for researching self-harm and suicide. A notable challenge, however, is the focus of most studies on the associations between sociodemographic factors and the risks of self-harm and suicide. Integrating government datasets with data from recent studies, as well as fostering collaboration between researchers and government agencies to identify necessary data for routine administrative records, could help address these constraints. Despite its limitations, data linkage can reveal useful patterns in the interactions between individuals who self-harm or die by suicide and the healthcare system.