Our research will improve acute mental health care and ensure the highest quality care for children and young people presenting to the ED with mental health problems. We will generate novel data on the epidemiology of children and adolescents presenting to EDs with mental health problems, why they present, and how best to care for them during and after their ED visit. We will conduct three streams of research each with sub projects as summarised below:
- Understanding research needs and variation in practice: Project (1) Co-designing with patients, families and clinicians prioritised research questions and core research outcome measures for children and young people and Project (2) Exploring factors which influence how staff care for children and young people presenting to the ED and assessing staff information/training needs.
- Describing current practice and outcomes: Projects (3) and (4): Detailed epidemiological, and prospective studies of ED mental health presentations, including (a) current patterns, precipitants, and costs; (b) contribution of co-morbid conditions; (c) precipitants and predictors of mental illness and suicidality; (d) protective factors; and (e) satisfaction with care and discharge communication provided within the ED and on follow-up.
- Testing innovative methods to improve care: Project (5): Assessing real-world clinical and cost effectiveness of an enhanced safety planning (ESP) intervention involving assertive follow-up telephone calls, a co-designed smartphone app and web-based resources to manage suicidality (stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) in seven large paediatric EDs);
- Knowledge Translation (KT) will commence from the start. We will develop a community of practice to advance translation of our research. KT Project (1): Co-designed discharge communication interventions for patients and families after ED visits with high-prevalence mental health problems; KT Project (2) Implementation tools for enhanced safety planning interventions, and KT Project (3) National clinical practice guideline development and dissemination for management of acute severe behavioural disturbance in those presenting to the ED.