Variation in and factors associated with psychosocial interventions for hospitalised self-harm patients in New South Wales, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Psychosocial interventions demonstrate benefits during care for self-harm patients, however their adoption in hospital care remain largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the variation in and factors associated with psychosocial intervention use when treating self-harm patients at New South Wales (NSW) public hospitals.

METHOD: We used the all-inclusive NSW Admitted Patient Data from July 2001 to June 2014. The primary outcome was receipt of hospital based psychosocial intervention. Mixed effect logistic models were used to quantify the between-hospital variation and patient and hospital-level characteristics in relation to outcome.

RESULTS: It was noted that over the 13-year study period, the use of psychosocial intervention increased over time by 4% per annum. Substantial variation in use was observed between hospitals, and receipt of psychosocial interventions were also associated with patient characteristics such as increasing age and an increasing number of comorbid mental disorders.

CONCLUSION: Despite the increasing trend in use of psychosocial intervention, it was not commonly adopted in many hospitals when treating self-harm patients, even cases with greater needs, suggesting substantial potential to improve uptake and targeting.