Ignite Creation Date:
2025-12-24 @ 3:22 PM
Ignite Modification Date:
2026-01-01 @ 9:12 PM
Study NCT ID:
NCT07030192
Status:
RECRUITING
Last Update Posted:
2025-11-21
First Post:
2025-06-03
Is Gene Therapy:
True
Has Adverse Events:
False
Brief Title:
Peer Support Workers Feasibility Study
Sponsor:
University of British Columbia
Organization:
Study Overview
Official Title:
Promoting Safety and Equity in Chaos: A Feasibility Study of Peer Support Workers to Support People Who Use Drugs in Emergency Departments
Status:
RECRUITING
Status Verified Date:
2025-11
Last Known Status:
None
Delayed Posting:
No
If Stopped, Why?:
Not Stopped
Has Expanded Access:
False
If Expanded Access, NCT#:
N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status:
N/A
Acronym:
None
Brief Summary:
Many people with high-risk opioid use visit emergency departments (EDs), facing a high risk of death if they leave before completing care. Peer support workers (Peer) - people with lived experience of substance use - may improve patient comfort, reduce early departures, and potentially lower mortality rates. This study aims to evaluate how a hospital-implemented ED Peer program can enhance patient support, reduce barriers to care, and provide harm-reduction resources in a person-centred and trauma-informed manner. The study will also validate the outcome and obtain preliminary estimates of the benefits of decreasing patients who leave the ED before completing care.
Detailed Description:
The main objectives of the study are to 1) to describe, and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel ED Peer program implemented by the Vancouver Coastal Health at the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) ED, 2) to evaluate the feasibility of creating a randomized shift schedule in support of a future definitive randomized controlled trial, 3) to validate outcomes related to patients leaving before completing care using administrative data from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), and 4) to obtain preliminary estimates of incidence of patients who leave the ED before completing care, to inform sample size calculations for a definitive randomized controlled trial.
The study will take place at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), a large ED with approximately 97,000 visits per year, serving a diverse urban population. Investigators will evaluate our randomized shift schedule generation, and will describe our intervention and patient population through data within our Peer interaction logs and linkages to regional data. To understand our intervention and patient and provider experiences, investigators will use a mixed methods design to comprehensively collect, analyze, and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data. This approach will provide insights from multiple perspectives, offering a robust understanding of the relationships and potential contradictions within the evidence, thereby enriching the data and deepening our understanding of the findings.
Investigators will evaluate feasibility and acceptability of the Peer program at engaging patients with specific demographic, health history, and risk profiles. Investigators will assess the degree to which patients of different backgrounds access and engage with Peer services, and what characteristics affect patient acceptance of Peer services offered. Investigators will then work with the ED leadership team to target and tailor the program to best meet the needs of patients at highest risk.
This feasibility study will set the foundation for a definitive randomized controlled trial, which will be the first to compare patients with substance use who leave EDs before completing care during shifts with Peer availability versus without, addressing a critical knowledge gap. The definitive trial will engage multiple sites across Canada to rigorously evaluate ED Peer effectiveness, with the potential to scale up an intervention that could improve patient outcomes on a national scale.
The study will take place at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), a large ED with approximately 97,000 visits per year, serving a diverse urban population. Investigators will evaluate our randomized shift schedule generation, and will describe our intervention and patient population through data within our Peer interaction logs and linkages to regional data. To understand our intervention and patient and provider experiences, investigators will use a mixed methods design to comprehensively collect, analyze, and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data. This approach will provide insights from multiple perspectives, offering a robust understanding of the relationships and potential contradictions within the evidence, thereby enriching the data and deepening our understanding of the findings.
Investigators will evaluate feasibility and acceptability of the Peer program at engaging patients with specific demographic, health history, and risk profiles. Investigators will assess the degree to which patients of different backgrounds access and engage with Peer services, and what characteristics affect patient acceptance of Peer services offered. Investigators will then work with the ED leadership team to target and tailor the program to best meet the needs of patients at highest risk.
This feasibility study will set the foundation for a definitive randomized controlled trial, which will be the first to compare patients with substance use who leave EDs before completing care during shifts with Peer availability versus without, addressing a critical knowledge gap. The definitive trial will engage multiple sites across Canada to rigorously evaluate ED Peer effectiveness, with the potential to scale up an intervention that could improve patient outcomes on a national scale.
Study Oversight
Has Oversight DMC:
True
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?:
False
Is a FDA Regulated Device?:
False
Is an Unapproved Device?:
None
Is a PPSD?:
None
Is a US Export?:
None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?: