Outcomes outlined in annual reports, evidence briefings and peer review papers can be utilized to inform government policy at local and national levels.

Examples of contributions that surveillance system data can have are:

• To inform the decision to allocate specialized nurses to emergency departments, prioritizing specific hospitals or emergency care centers on the basis of the volume of suicide attempts and self-harm (6)
• To inform the development of task forces to address the use of specific substances (e.g. medications, pesticides) on the basis of observed patterns of intentional self-poisoning (6)
• To inform the planning and implementation of treatment programs for individuals who present to hospital after a suicide attempt or act of self-harm
• To inform the development, implementation and evaluation of national suicide prevention strategies (1,7).