Telehealth to Improve Prevention of Suicide (TIPS)

Summary

The study will rigorously evaluate whether synchronous, within-visit telemental health evaluation and intervention services can successfully overcome poor access to behavioral health and substandard suicide-related care in emergency departments (EDs), including evaluating the impact on system metrics, a primary goal of RFA-MH-20-226. Notably, the study will surpass this primary requirement, because it will extend understanding of the relative added value of the ED-SAFE post-visit telephone intervention and will create knowledge about key factors related to implementation and sustainment.

Conditions

• Suicide Risk

Interventions

OTHER

TIPS Program

TIPS Program where a telehealth evaluation from a mental health clinician proficient in best practices was administered. The goal of which was to improve access and timeliness of evaluations through telehealth and the quality of management of suicidality in the ED. The main focus of TIPS was to replace the usual "call and arrive" or "transfer to a regional ED" models previously offered to a telehealth based evaluation. Components of the TIPS program included: (1) Telehealth evaluations with a masters-level mental health clinician; (2) Evidence informed-risk assessment with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS), Risk Assessment version; (3) Safety planning using the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention; (4) Care transitions using NAASP Best Practices in Care Transitions for Individuals with Suicide Risk; and (5) Telepsychiatry evaluation.

OTHER

TIPS Program + ED-SAFE

TIPS+EDSAFE condition in which a random subset of discharged patients who received TIPS also received up to 3 follow-ups call over 3 three months after their initial presentation at the ED. The first call happened within a week, the second within a month and third within 3 months. It was one call to create a safety plan with the patient and 2 more calls to have a value discussion and life plan and check in on whether the safety plan needs to be updated and any barriers to getting outpatient treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Community HealthLink

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Collective Medical

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Massachusetts, Worcester

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Edwin Boudreaux, PhD · UMass Medical School

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-07-12

Primary Completion

2025-09-09

Completion

2025-11-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations