Kids jumping

Mental Health Canada Study

A Multi-Disciplinary, Patient-Partnered, Pan-Canadian, Comparative Effectiveness Evaluation of an Innovative Acute Pediatric Mental Health and Addiction Care Bundle

Study Summary

A Multi-Disciplinary, Patient-Partnered, Pan-Canadian, Comparative Effectiveness Evaluation of an Innovative Acute Pediatric Mental Health and Addiction Care Bundle is a CIHR funded study led by Drs. Stephen Freedman and Amanda Newton (Edmonton, AB). With the support of research institutes and health care delivery organizations from coast to coast, eight pediatric Emergency Departments (EDs) across Canada are involved in this comparative effectiveness cluster randomized controlled trial. The purpose of this trial is to compare the effectiveness of the novel acute mental healthcare bundle first introduced in our Alberta-based cohort study, to the delivery of ED mental healthcare in children nationally. The primary outcome is improvement in wellbeing 30 days after an ED visit among children and youth who sought care for mental health and substance use concerns.  This study reflects partnerships between emergency and mental health/psychiatry service providers across the country and is supported by funding provided by local research institutes, health care providers, and national mental health agencies.

Objectives

  1. To determine if an acute mental healthcare bundle, compared to standard care, improves wellbeing at 30 days in children and youth seeking ED care for mental health and substance use concerns
  2. To determine if the bundle improves satisfaction with care, family functioning, and healthcare delivery (ED length of stay, access and time to follow-up care, ED revisits)
  3. To identify modifiable barriers and enablers of bundle implementation fidelity and effectiveness
  4. To test if trial intervention effects are moderated by sociodemographic characteristics (sex, gender, ethnicity, culture, education, and socioeconomic status) and implementation barriers/enablers
  5. To assess the cost-effectiveness of the approach

Principal Study Investigators: Dr. Stephen Freedman and Dr. Amanda Newton

Project Lead: Dr. Jacinda Larson

Study Team: Dr. Mohamed Eltorki, Dr. Gareth Hopkin, Jananee Rasiah, Dr. Monica Taljaard, Dr. Margaret Steele, Dr. Jitender Sareen, Dr. Peter Szatmari, Dr. Mario Cappelli, Dr. Isabelle Gagnon, Dr. Gary Joubert, Dr. Yazid Al Hamarneh, Lee Macdonald, Barbara Brady-Fryer, Dr. Maria Santana, Dr. Chris McCabe, Dr. Janet Curran, Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos, Dr. Katherine Cost, Dr. Michael Stubbs, Dr. Bruce Wright, Dr. Antonia Stang, Tracy Wasylak, Dr. Jennifer Thull-Freedman, Dr. Douglas Sinclair, Dr. Robert Porter, Dr. Kim St. John, Dr. Jon Cherry, Dr. Ellen Lipman, Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, Dr. Suneeta Monga, Dr. Javeed Sukhera, Dr. Simon Berthelot, Dr. Brian Greenfield, Dr. Laurie Plotnick, Dr. Scott Sawyer, Dr. Lawrence Katz, Dr. Terry Klassen, Dr. Ahmed Mater, Dr. Anna Felstrom, Dr. Sharon Clark, Dr. Lisa Horowitz, Dr. Quynh Doan, Dr. Prashant Mahajan