Plan and Protect: Safety Planning for Teens in Rural Emergency Departments
Development & Implementation of Culturally Sensitive Safety Planning to Reduce Suicide Risk in Adolescents Seeking Care in Rural Emergency Departments
Who can join
Ages 12 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria for children: * 12-17 years of age (and their parent/caregiver(s)) * Ability to speak and complete surveys in English * History of emergency department visit for suicidality, self-harm or mental health crisis * Medically stable Exclusion criteria for children: * Cognitive or developmental delays that preclude program participation based on clinical team assessment * Diagnosis of psychosis * Primary diagnosis of an eating disorder * Parent/guardian not able to provide consent in English * Clinical team concern for patient or staff safety based upon active behavioral concerns * Parent/guardian not available to provide consent (e.g youth is in child protective custody/ward of the state) Inclusion criteria for parents/caregivers: * Parent or caregiver of an eligible child * 18 years old or older * Ability to speak and complete surveys in English Exclusion criteria for parents/caregivers: -Inability to understand key aspects of the study
About the study
The goal of this observational study is to determine whether implementing a culturally sensitive, tablet-based safety planning program called Plan \& Protect (P\&P) within rural emergency departments can improve home safety and reduce suicide risk in adolescents presenting to the emergency department with suicide-related concerns.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Will implementing P\&P increase caregiver-reported home safety (reduce access to firearms and unsafe medication storage) for adolescents 12-17 years old presenting to rural EDs with suicidal ideation, self-harm, or mental health crisis? * Will implementing P\&P decrease adolescent-reported perceived suicide risk and related outcomes (e.g., suicide events, and attendance at follow-up mental healthcare)?
Researchers will compare outcomes for adolescents and caregivers receiving P\&P (implemented as the new standard of care at sites during the intervention periods) to those receiving usual care (prior to P\&P implementation at those hospitals) to see if P\&P increases home safety and decreases suicide risk and related healthcare utilization.
Participants will, if clinically appropriate:
* Complete the tablet-based P\&P modules during their ED visit * Complete self-report measures at baseline, \~30 days, and \~3 months post-discharge * A subset will also participate in semi-structured interviews
What is being tested
- Plan & Protect safety planning intervention (behavioral)
- Care as usual (behavioral)
Sponsor: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · Participants: 550 · Started: Aug 3, 2026
Contact the study team
- Jacqueline Pogue, MPH · Phone: 603-646-5614
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07325474
Locations in the U.S.
| New Hampshire | Valley Regional Hospital, Claremont (Not yet recruiting) Cheshire Medical Center, Keene Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Lebanon Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon New London Hospital, New London |
| Vermont | Mount Ascutney Hospital, Windsor |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Oct 3, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.