Evaluation of a Gatekeeper Training Program

NCT ID: NCT01252927

Last Updated: 2021-09-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 112 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-03-27
• Study Completion Date: 2015-08-01

Brief Summary

The main objective of the proposed study is to evaluate the efficacy of a gatekeeper training suicide intervention program, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), in improving medical students' knowledge about suicide intervention, impact of attitudes on someone at risk for suicide and competent use of intervention skills to recognize risk and intervene effectively compared to medical education as usual. This research project will be undertaken using a randomized-controlled trial design. Questionnaires and objective structured clinical examinations using simulated patients will be completed at three time points: 1) before training, 2) after training, and 3) at one year following the training. Medical students' clinical skills in recognizing risk and intervening with simulated patients, as well as knowledge about suicide intervention and the impact of attitudes on someone at risk for suicide will be evaluated.

Detailed Description

The current proposal plans to implement and evaluate a secondary suicide intervention skills training program (gatekeeper training) in medical school students in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main objective of the current proposal is to evaluate the effectiveness of a gatekeeper training program, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), in improving medical students' intervention skills with suicidal patients compared to training as usual. Secondary aims include comparisons of changes in knowledge, perceived competence and attitudes around suicide.

Findings from previous studies have demonstrated a significant positive effect of gatekeeper training on suicide prevention attitudes, skills and knowledge. As well, general studies in medical education reveal that students who have been able to practice, observe, and receive feedback in small groups showed an improvement in skills and confidence over those who were given didactic teaching only. Therefore, the investigators anticipate that the ASIST training program will significantly improve medical students' knowledge about suicide intervention, and will increase their recognition and response to suicide risk compared to education as usual. The investigators also expect that ASIST training will help them to understand the impact of attitudes on suicide prevention, and will increase their perceived competence and ability to recognize and treat a suicidal individual compare over training as usual. It is hypothesized that medical students trained in ASIST will differ significantly in their ability to correctly recognize and intervene with suicidal individuals based on their use of a standardized suicide intervention model and objective assessment using standardized patients.

Conditions

Suicide

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

ASIST intervention

The gatekeeper training intervention group received the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) 10.0 in addition to TAU. ASIST is a two-day (fourteen hour), intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course aimed at enabling people to recognize risk and learn how to intervene immediately to prevent suicide. The intervention was offered to students on a weekend and was conducted by three senior ASIST trainers and one junior trainer, with two trainers assigned to each training group.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

ASIST

Intervention Type: OTHER

The gatekeeper training intervention group will receive the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop in addition to training as usual. ASIST is a 2-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course aimed at enabling people to recognize risk and learn how to intervene immediately to prevent suicide.

Control group: training as usual

Training as usual consisted of didactic teaching and a tutorial with case-based examples around suicide risk factors in their first year of medical school. Third- and fourth-year students may also have the opportunity to practice their skills with real patients during their clerkship rotations or in the emergency department.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

ASIST

The gatekeeper training intervention group will receive the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop in addition to training as usual. ASIST is a 2-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course aimed at enabling people to recognize risk and learn how to intervene immediately to prevent suicide.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• all medical students at University of Manitoba

Exclusion Criteria

• those who choose not to participate
• those who have already taken ASIST training or related SafeTALK training

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Manitoba

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Shay-Lee Bolton

PhD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Shay-Lee Bolton, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Manitoba

Locations

University of Manitoba

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

H2009:073

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id