A Multicenter Registry Protocol for Suicidal Behaviors in Iran: The SUBRP Study (2019-2022)

Background: Considering the limited information on suicide determinants, especially in low- and middle-income countries, the establishment and promotion of a suicide registration system are among the prominent strategies for suicide prevention programs around the world. Objectives: The SUBRP protocol describes the purpose, design, methodology, and statistics used to register suicide, suicide attempt, and self-harm in the two provinces of Iran by the latest World Health Organization Guidelines. Method: The Suicidal Behavior Registration Program (SUBRP) is an observational, prospective, and multicenter study, which is designed in five stages: a) literature review, b) infrastructure establishment, c) database and software design, d) training and implementing) analysis of obtained data, as well as examining opportunities and challenges. Considering the number of suicidal behaviors in the country, the research samples include cases of suicide attempts and self-harm in the two referral hospitals in Tehran and three hospitals in the three cities of Ilam province. Result: This manuscript outlines the protocol of the forthcoming study. Ethics and publication The ethics board of Iran University of Medical Sciences approved this observational study. Enrollment began in November 2019 to mid-2022. Publication programs include presentations at scientific conferences and scientific publications. Discussion: The design and implementation of the suicide registration program help researchers and policymakers make more innovative and effective interventions to prevent suicide by creating a comprehensive database of suicidal behavior determinants.