Safety Planning Intervention Telehealth Service Model in Emergency Departments

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · Mar 23, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing two ways to help people at risk of suicide who visit the emergency department (ED). All participants will receive Safety Planning Intervention plus follow-up contacts (SPI+), but the way SPI+ is delivered differs: in the “Enhanced Usual Care” arm, ED staff provide SPI+ and follow-up calls themselves; in the SPCC arm, ED staff refer the patient to an off-site Suicide Prevention Consultation Center (SPCC) that delivers SPI+ and follow-up calls to the patient via telehealth. The goal is to see which approach more effectively reduces suicide attempts and related hospital visits, and how well patients stay engaged with outpatient mental health care after leaving the ED.

Eligible participants are adults 18 and older who come to participating EDs for a suicide-related event or are judged at risk for suicide by ED staff, and who are not admitted to inpatient care after the ED visit. English-speaking patients who have a phone and can consent are eligible, with some additional criteria for ED clinicians or leaders who may refer patients. Participants can expect to receive SPI+ and two or more post-discharge follow-up calls, with monitoring over about six months for outcomes like suicide attempts, suicide-related ED visits or hospitalizations, and engagement in outpatient treatment. The study is led by the University of Pennsylvania and funded in part by NIMH, enrolling at multiple sites since 2022, with results expected around 2026.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Aim 1/Aim 3:
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • ED visit at one of our participating sites for a suicide-related event or determined to be at risk for suicide per the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and ED clinical staff
• • 18 years of age or older
• • Not admitted to an inpatient hospital following the index ED visit as documented in the EHR
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • - Inpatient admission following the index ED visit per the EHR
• Aim 2:
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • ED clinician or leader at one of our participating sites, or ED patient who was referred to the SPCC
• • 18 years of age or older
• • Able to communicate in English
• • Willing to give informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients who are at imminent risk of suicide or acutely psychotic at the time of the interview, requiring emergency services and/or precluding ability to provide informed consent
• • Patients without a phone for contact