Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05294549

Implementation of Caring Contacts

This quality improvement (QI) project will adapt and improve an evidence-based suicide-prevention initiative for Sunnybrook patients at high risk of suicide following psychiatric inpatient discharge, targeting one of Sunnybrook's QI Plan goals of reducing suicide at Sunnybrook. Caring Contacts, brief communications of hope, support and information sent to patients post-discharge, are a simple and low-cost intervention with proven effectiveness in reducing suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, and loneliness, while increasing hopefulness and feelings of connection to the health care system. Pilot data provides some initial, promising evidence however additional patient input is required to improve the acceptability and effectiveness of the intervention to reduce suicide-related outcomes. Feedback from patients and peer advisors will guide iterative improvements with the ultimate goal of implementing an improved version of Caring Contacts as a standard clinical practice for all patients discharged from the Sunnybrook Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Unit.

For phase one of this QI project, participants will be patients from the Sunnybrook Inpatient Psychiatry Unit with suicidality and community members with lived experience of psychiatric hospitalization and suicidality. Investigators will conduct focus groups on the inpatient unit of 8-12 inpatient participants to gather feedback about the current Caring Contact intervention. For community members virtual focus groups will be conducted. For phase two, participants will be patients from the Sunnybrook Inpatient Psychiatry Unit with suicidality. The updated intervention will be sent to 8-12 participants. Then investigators will host virtual focus groups to gather feedback from these participants about the intervention. For phase three, participants will be patients from the Sunnybrook Inpatient Psychiatry Unit with suicidality. Investigators will send the revised intervention to 30-40 participants. Participants will complete symptom and feedback questionnaires when they receive the intervention.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Psychiatric Hospitalization Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Self-Injurious Behavior Suicide Suicide Prevention

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Toronto, Ontario, M4H 1R1, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Provision of written informed consent
  • Age 18 or above
  • Ability to read and understand English
  • Have an email address
  • The ability to understand and comply with the requirements of the project and capable of providing informed consent

For inclusion in the outpatient focus groups participants must additionally have previous lived experience of psychiatric hospitalization with suicidal ideation or behaviour.

For inclusion in the inpatient focus groups during phase one and for inclusion in the second and third phases of the project, participants must additionally 1) be an inpatient on the Sunnybrook Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at the time of recruitment and 2) they must have been admitted to the unit with suicidal ideation or behaviour as determined by their C-SSRS score at admission.

Exclusion criteria

  • A primary diagnosis of a Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Treatment and study plan

Caring Contact

Other

The Caring Contact intervention is an email with messages of hope, support and resource information sent to patients post-discharge from psychiatric hospitalization.

Primary outcomes

  1. Feedback questionnaire

    Time frame: Through study completion about 1 year

    Feedback questionnaire responses using Likert scales will be quantified and compared as a measure of acceptability of the intervention.

  2. Focus group responses

    Time frame: Through first 3 months of study

    Qualitative thematic analyses will be used to evaluate the focus group transcripts.

  3. Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25)

    Time frame: Baseline, up to 14 days post-discharge

    The HSCL-25 is a widely used self-report questionnaire using a Likert scale to measure mood symptoms. The HSCL-25 has an item for suicidal ideation. Total change scores and suicidal ideation change scores will be used to assess the effectiveness of intervention.

    Minimum total score is 25, maximum is 100. A higher score equals a worse outcome.

  4. The Entrapment Scale

    Time frame: Baseline, up to 14 days post-discharge

    The Entrapment scale is a 16 item scale used to identify feelings of entrapment, which is a driver for suicidal behaviour. Total change scores will be used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Minimum total score is 0, maximum is 80. A higher score equals a worse outcome.

  5. Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSI)

    Time frame: Baseline, up to 14 days post-discharge

    The BSI is a self-report questionnaire with 21 items used to detect and measuring the current intensity of an individual's attitudes, behaviors, and plans to commit suicide during the past week. Total change scores will be used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Implementation of Caring Contacts Using Patient Feedback to Reduce Suicidal Ideation Following Psychiatric Hospitalization

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Mar 24, 2022
Registry last updated
Jul 11, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.