170,000 people present to Emergency Departments in the UK each year following an act of self-harm1 and this incidence is increasing. Deliberate overdose currently accounts for ≥10% of all acute medical admissions.2 The frequency and importance of this presentation to trainees in Acute Medicine is emphasised in the curriculum for Acute Internal Medicine 20093 which states that trainees must be able to perform a risk assessment following self-harm and formulate a management plan for care upon discharge from hospital. This article uses a common clinical case vignette to address these competencies.
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