A Health System/Community Partnership for Enhanced Outreach to Prevent Suicide Attempts

Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study ID
NCT05837026
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Suicide
  • Suicide, Attempted

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Enhanced Outreach Intervention (EOI) plus Care as Usual (CAU) — BEHAVIORAL
    The EOI will contain four main components: safety planning, caring contacts, care engagement, and risk assessment. Outreach (via phone or text messaging) from Samaritans staff will be conducted every week of the 12 week intervention. Conversations will use a standardized phone script to (a) conduct a risk assessment, (b) develop and review a list of coping skills to use if the participant has suicidal thoughts, and (c) discuss plans for receiving mental health care. Samaritans staff will also send a caring text message or email at least once per week. Participants will also receive standard care that hospitals provide to patients who present with suicidal thoughts.
  • Care as Usual (CAU) — OTHER
    Participants will receive standard care that hospitals provide to patients who present with suicidal thoughts.

Study Details

The goal of this study is to test an enhanced outreach intervention (EOI) delivered by Samaritans of Boston (a community organization that provides support during mental health crises) for people after they leave an emergency department (ED) visit for suicidal thoughts. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the EOI reduce suicide-related behaviors? * Does the EOI increase outpatient treatment attendance? * Is the EOI acceptable and feasible? * Can the EOI be delivered with fidelity by Samaritans? Participants will be randomized to the EOI plus care as usual or care as usual alone. Participants in the EOI plus care as usual group will: * Receive outreach (by call or text) at a planned time once per week for the next 12 weeks. During these conversations, Samaritans staff will ask participants questions about their suicidal thoughts and behaviors, develop and review a list of coping skills to use if they have suicidal thoughts, and discuss plans for receiving mental health care. * Receive caring messages from Samaritans staff at least once per week. * Receive standard care that hospitals give for patients who present with suicidal thoughts. * Be asked to complete monthly self-report questionnaires. For care as usual alone, participants will: * Receive standard care that hospitals give for patients who present with suicidal thoughts. * Be asked to complete monthly self-report questionnaires.

Key Dates

First listed
May 1, 2023
Start date
Jun 30, 2026
Status verified
Jan 2026
Primary completion
Nov 30, 2027
Completion
Nov 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Experimental: Enhanced Outreach Intervention plus Care as Usual (CAU)
    Participants will receive the Enhanced Outreach Intervention (EOI) plus care as usual for 12 weeks after ED discharge.
  • Other: Care as Usual (CAU)
    Participants will receive the standard care (i.e., CAU) that the hospital provides to patients who present with suicidal thoughts.

Primary Outcome Measure

Number of Suicide Attempts [ Time Frame: 4 weeks ]

Central Contacts

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