NCT05307432

Safety Planning Intervention Telehealth Service Model in Emergency Departments

A Safety Planning Intervention and Follow-up Telehealth Service Model for Suicidal Individuals in Emergency Department Settings

• Status: Enrolling By Invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 2,814 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a suicide prevention strategy delivered via telehealth in Emergency Departments. We will compare implementation of the Safety Planning Intervention plus follow-up calls (SPI+) delivered by Emergency Department (ED) staff to SPI+ delivered via ED referral to an off-site Suicide Prevention Consultation Center (SPCC).

Detailed description

Individuals at high risk for suicide often present to acute care settings, such as emergency departments (EDs), and then typically are hospitalized or referred for outpatient mental health treatment. Patients are at increased risk of suicide attempts and suicide following an ED visit and nearly half do not attend outpatient treatment. Brief, evidence-based clinical interventions, such as the Safety Planning Intervention with post-discharge telephone follow-up (SPI+), can reduce suicide risk, decrease hospitalizations, and increase engagement in outpatient services for suicidal patients discharged from the ED. Leveraging insights from implementation science and collaborative care, we propose a model in which ED staff will connect patients at risk for suicide to ED-credentialed mental health clinicians who are located external to the ED. These off-site clinicians will provide SPI+ via telehealth for ED patients prior to discharge and provide follow-up services after ED discharge as part of an innovative Suicide Prevention Consultation Center (SPCC). All participating EDs will begin in the Enhanced Usual Care phase, in which ED staff will deliver SPI+ to suicidal patients. EDs will then be randomized in pairs to begin referral to the SPCC in 3 month intervals. We will also conduct a cost evaluation to help determine scalability and sustainability.

Conditions

• Suicide
• Suicidal Ideation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	SPI+ Delivered by ED Staff	ED staff will deliver SPI+ (Safety Planning Intervention plus follow-up phone calls) to patients at risk for suicide in the ED who are not admitted to an inpatient unit.
BEHAVIORAL	SPI+ Delivered by SPCC Clinicians	The Suicide Prevention Consultation Center (SPCC) will be located external to the Emergency Department (ED). ED staff will be able to refer patients at risk for suicide to the SPCC. Licensed and credentialed mental health clinicians will deliver SPI+ (Safety Planning Intervention plus follow-up phone calls) via telehealth to patients at risk for suicide in the ED who are not admitted to an inpatient unit.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-01
• Primary completion: 2026-07-31
• Completion: 2026-07-31
• First posted: 2022-04-01
• Last updated: 2025-07-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States