Supporting Caregivers Following Mental Health Emergency Department Visits

Conditions

• Caregiver Participation
• Emergency Department Presentation
• Safety Plan

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

10 Years - 17 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Telephone Calls — BEHAVIORAL
  Parents/guardians are contacted via telephone by a psychiatric social worker within 72 hours of ED discharge, then the family receives weekly phone calls until either they have successfully connected to follow-up mental health services or asks to no longer be contacted. Otherwise phone calls will continue to be made weekly until 60-days post-discharge.
• Automatic MyChart Messages — BEHAVIORAL
  Parents/guardians receive automatic MyChart messages within 72 hours of ED discharge, then the family receives weekly messages until 60-days post-discharge.

Study Details

The investigators plan to conduct a pilot hybrid effectiveness-implementation type 1 randomized controlled trial comparing 3 arms of varying follow-up intervention. Caregivers of youth ages 10-17 who present to the Lurie Children's Hospital ED with suicidal thoughts or behaviors (STBs) and are discharged with a safety plan will be included in the current study. Families will be randomized to receive either 1) treatment as usual, 2) follow-up phone calls, or 3) automatic electronic medical record (EMR) MyChart messages

Key Dates

Start date

Jan 26, 2026

Status verified

Jan 2026

Primary completion

Aug 31, 2026

Completion

Aug 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

75 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Arms

• Experimental: Telephone Calls
  Parents/guardians are contacted via telephone by a psychiatric social worker within 72 hours of ED discharge, then the family receives weekly phone calls until either they have successfully connected to follow-up mental health services or asks to no longer be contacted. Otherwise phone calls will continue to be made weekly until 60-days post-discharge.
• No Intervention: Standard Treatment
  The caregiver receives the standard follow-up protocol once the patient has been discharged from the Emergency Department.
• Experimental: Automatic MyChart Messages
  Parents/guardians receive automatic MyChart messages that will provide educational content and provide support around utilizing safety plans and restricting lethal means as well as the importance of connecting to follow-up care. These messages are sent within 72 hours of discharge then weekly for the first 60-days post-discharge.

Primary Outcome Measure

ED Return Visits [ Time Frame: Between baseline enrollment and 90 day follow-up assessment ]

Central Contacts

• Amanda Burnside, PhD
  312-227-2785
  [email protected]
• Danielle Cory, MENG
  3122276312
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

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