Safety planning is a brief, ED-feasible intervention which has been demonstrated to save lives and has been universally recommended by every recent expert consensus panel on suicide prevention strategies. In one popular version of the safety plan developed by Stanley et al, the patient is encouraged to write out the following items: identifying personal signs of a crisis; helpful internal coping strategies; social contacts or settings which may distract from a crisis; using family members or friends for help when in crisis; mental health professionals who can be contacted when in crisis; and restricting access to lethal means. This study aims to find out how valuable an electronic safety plan is compared to a traditional paper safety plan. People who are visiting the emergency department for thoughts of self-harm will be asked to participate.
This project has 3 aims: (1) Will ED patients with suicidal ideation/attempt accept coaching on safety planning from non-clinical personnel (i.e., medical students or peer supporters); (2) Are these safety plans of high-enough quality for clinical personnel; and finally, (3) Will ED patients with suicidal ideation/attempt complete safety plans electronically?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
The Safety Net app is an electronic version of a safety plan and it is available for download in Apple's App Store. A preview of the app is available at: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stanley-brown-safety-plan/id695122998. This app is owned by Two Penguins Studios, LLC. It was developed in partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health. Unlike the paper version, the Safety Net app allows participants to email a copy of their safety plan to whomever they wish. It also allows patients to dial 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from the app.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Acceptability of Intervention
The number of patients approached who agree to allow trained non-clinical staff to assist with safety planning.
Time frame: Up to 12 hours
Length of Stay
The length of stay in the ED for patients approached who agree to allow trained non-clinical staff to assist with safety planning.
Time frame: Up to 12 hours
Satisfaction With Safety Planning
Evaluate patient satisfaction with safety planning. This will be assessed by having the patient rate their experience with the safety planning process on a 7-point Likert scale (1 - strongly disagree; 2 - disagree; 3 - moderately disagree; 4 - neutral; 5 - moderately agree; 6 - agree; 7 - strongly agree). A Likert scale measures how much someone disagrees or agrees with a particular statement.
Time frame: Up to 12 hours
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