Use of the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) in Pediatric Outpatient Settings



Status:Enrolling by invitation
Conditions:Psychiatric
Therapuetic Areas:Psychiatry / Psychology
Healthy:No
Age Range:Any
Updated:1/30/2019
Start Date:July 9, 2016
End Date:December 31, 2019

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Background:

Doctors and nurses who work in non-mental health settings need ways to know when patients are
at risk. Researchers created the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) to be used in an
emergency department for children. This is a 4-item suicide risk screening tool. We wanted to
see if this is also a good tool to use in the outpatient setting. Two studies are being done
to test it at hospitals. This study is for researchers to analyze the data from those two
studies.

Objectives:

To combine and analyze data from two studies to see how well the ASQ can detect suicide risk
in pediatric outpatient clinics.

Eligibility:

No people are enrolled in this study.

Design:

Participants in the two non-NIH studies will give consent for their data to be shared.

The data will be confidential and secure. They will have no personal information attached to
them.

Researchers will get the data and analyze them.

This protocol is designed to combine and analyze data from two separate independent studies
conducted at non-NIH sites-Boston Children s Hospital (BCH) and Kansas City Mercy Children s
Hospital (KC). Both sites have protocols and consents reviewed by the IRBs at their
respective institutions, and data collection is underway; NIMH will coordinate and oversee
data analysis from these studies. A protocol to establish NIH s role in the studies and IRB
review will enhance the acceptance of the research findings for publication in scientific and
medical journals.

Physicians and nurses working in non-mental health settings require tools to guide them in
recognizing patients at risk. While screening children and adolescents is emerging as a
priority of the Joint Commission, there are currently no suicide screening instruments
designed specifically for assessing suicide risk in a pediatric outpatient medical setting.
Recently, our study team developed the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), a 4-item
suicide risk screening instrument with excellent sensitivity, specificity, and negative
predictive value for use in pediatric emergency departments (Protocol 08-M-N070). However,
use of the ASQ in an outpatient medical setting has not been tested. The aim of the studies
at BCH and KC is to determine the utility of the ASQ among youth in outpatient primary and
specialty care clinics (e.g., endocrine, sports medicine, orthopedic). While most outpatients
will not be at imminent risk for suicide, we hypothesize that the ASQ will capture a number
of patients who screen positive and are not only at risk for suicidal behavior in the future,
but are also experiencing significant emotional distress and therefore warrant further
psychiatric evaluation and follow-up treatment. Data from BCH and KC will be analyzed under
this protocol from a total sample size of 580. Two measures of suicide risk (the ASQ and the
Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire) and a depression screen (the Patient Health Questionnaire -
Adolescent version), are administered to all eligible patients aged 10-21 years. The ultimate
goal is to provide non-mental health clinicians with a brief, accurate assessment tool for
detecting risk of suicide in pediatric medical outpatients and in turn, connecting those in
need with mental health services.

- INCLUSION CRITERIA:

- Patient in the Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine Program.

- English-speaking

- Aged 10-21 years, inclusive.

- If 18 or older, can supply consent.

- If under 18, has a parent or legal guardian who is available for informed consent
(written/verbal).

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

- Has a severe developmental or cognitive delay.

- Has a severe communication disorder such that the patient cannot comprehend questions
or communicate answers.

- Has a severe illness that prevents adequate communication.

- Parents/guardians and/or patients are non-English speaking.

- Patients under 18 years old are not with a parent/legal guardian who can provide
written consent.
We found this trial at
2
sites
2401 Gillham Rd
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
(816) 234-3000
Children's Mercy Hospital Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics continues redefining pediatric medicine throughout the Midwest...
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Boston, Massachusetts 02115
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Boston, MA
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