UMass Chan Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
A randomized, controlled trial of the safety planning intervention: Research design and methods
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Emergency Medicine
Publication Date
2021-01-27
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Emergency Medicine | Health Services Administration | Health Services Research | Mental and Social Health | Patient Safety | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Brief interventions for suicide risk among patients treated in acute care settings like the emergency department are needed. The Safety Planning Intervention is a promising approach but has yet to undergo a high quality, individual level randomized controlled trial.
PURPOSE: This paper describes the methods associated with an individual level randomized controlled trial of the Safety Planning Intervention compared to a control condition comprised of reviewing risk factors and warning signs.
METHODS: The sample comprised patients 18 years and older presenting to one of three different emergency departments with suicide related emergencies (target n = 484). Eligible patients were approached, consented, and randomized to the intervention (Safety Planning Intervention) or control (risk factors and warning signs). They were assessed at 1, 3 and 6 months after their index visit. The primary outcome is suicidal behavior. The study also assessed mechanisms of action. Data analyses are pending.
CONCLUSIONS: We identified and addressed key challenges to studying suicidal patients in the emergency department, including difficulty enrolling during the emergency department visit, ascertaining outcomes in patients that are historically very difficult to follow, and addressing the ambiguity of suicidal behavior. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03227991.
Keywords
Brief intervention, Emergency department, Randomized clinical trial, Safety planning, Suicide, Suicide prevention
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.cct.2021.106291
Source
Boudreaux ED, Stanley B, Green KL, Galfalvy H, Brown GK. A randomized, controlled trial of the safety planning intervention: Research design and methods. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Jan 27;103:106291. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106291. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33515785. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Contemporary clinical trials
PubMed ID
33515785
Repository Citation
Boudreaux ED, Stanley B, Green KL, Galfalvy H, Brown GK. (2021). A randomized, controlled trial of the safety planning intervention: Research design and methods. UMass Chan Medical School Faculty Publications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106291. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/1917