Effect of Early Assessment Team for Patients Referred to Outpatient Mental Health Care

NCT ID: NCT05087446

Last Updated: 2025-06-18

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 588 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-10-26
• Study Completion Date: 2026-12-31

Brief Summary

Loss of function and incapacity for work as a result of mental disorders are increasing, especially among young people (under 30 years of age), even though the prevalence of mental illness is fairly stable. Many of the patients referred to outpatient mental health care have complex difficulties with both mental and somatic ailments, in addition to difficulties with social conditions related to, for example, education, work, finances and social support. Functional difficulties can come as a result of mental illness. However, it can also be the opposite way; not functioning at work, study or daily life in general can cause mental symptoms and ailments. Many of these people are referred to mental health care even if the basic problem cannot be solved by psychotherapy or medication. Some of the referred patients do not have a psychiatric illness, but a reaction to a stressful and demanding situation and strains over time. Compound health challenges require individualized assessments and clarifications in order to offer the right measures. Traditionally in mental health care, the patient is placed on a waiting list to receive assessment and therapy for a specific condition.

With this background, the investigators believe it is important to early identify the referred patients who will benefit from measures other than traditional assessment and treatment in mental health care. Knowledge of other aid agencies is important to find the right measures at the right time. This is important for the individual patients, who are often young people going to "get started in life". It is also important for the health services because the capacity to provide a good health service is a limited resource. From a societal perspective it is important that the health care offered contributes to reducing social security dependence.

The purpose of this randomized, controlled trial is to compare the effect of traditional management of newly referred patients in outpatient clinics with assessment through an Early Assessment Team. The investigators believe that early assessment may have a positive effect on mental health, quality of life and function. The outcome goals can be summarized as less use of resources in outpatient clinics and society and better function and life for patients.

Conditions

Mental Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Early assessment group

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Early assessment team

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Early assessment team (EAT):The patients receive their first assessment by an early clarification team within a few weeks after the team receiving the referral. The team then decides whether further assessment and/or treatment should be given in the general outpatient clinic, and/or whether any other follow-up may be appropriate. In the first meeting the patient preferably meets two therapists, who conduct a semi-structured interview with focus on health and level of functioning. If considered appropriate, the team may offer a short-term intervention.

Usual admission procedure group

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Admission to General psychiatric outpatient clinic

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Ordinary procedures for admission to an outpatient clinic are followed in accordance with the Norwegian Directorate of Health's national prioritization guide. Referrals are assessed on the basis of severity and placed on a regular waiting list (usually a waiting period of 1-3 months). The patients receive their first personal assessment from a therapist in a general outpatient clinic who takes a position on what is to be initiated and, if necessary, offers further assessment / treatment in accordance with procedures in the outpatient clinics. This is not standardized beyond current practice.

Interventions

Early assessment team

Early assessment team (EAT):The patients receive their first assessment by an early clarification team within a few weeks after the team receiving the referral. The team then decides whether further assessment and/or treatment should be given in the general outpatient clinic, and/or whether any other follow-up may be appropriate. In the first meeting the patient preferably meets two therapists, who conduct a semi-structured interview with focus on health and level of functioning. If considered appropriate, the team may offer a short-term intervention.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Admission to General psychiatric outpatient clinic

Ordinary procedures for admission to an outpatient clinic are followed in accordance with the Norwegian Directorate of Health's national prioritization guide. Referrals are assessed on the basis of severity and placed on a regular waiting list (usually a waiting period of 1-3 months). The patients receive their first personal assessment from a therapist in a general outpatient clinic who takes a position on what is to be initiated and, if necessary, offers further assessment / treatment in accordance with procedures in the outpatient clinics. This is not standardized beyond current practice.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• all patients referred to a general psychiatric outpatient clinic
• necessary capacity to consent
• master Norwegian language to such an extent that the patient can understand the written consent

Exclusion Criteria

• patients that an admission team at the outpatient clinic consider obviously must have a TAU for some time
• patients too healthy to receive specialized mental health care
• patients in need of acute psychiatric assessment
• relevant participants who do not respond digitally or who do not confirm consent in writing within given deadlines

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

St. Olavs Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Jon Helle, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Nidelv DPS, Tiller, St.Olavs hospital

Locations

Nidelv DPS, Tiller

Trondheim, , Norway

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Norway

Central Contacts

Katrine H Holgersen, phd

Role: CONTACT

Katrine.Hoyer.Holgersen@stolav.no

+4772829000

Camilla Angelsen Kvestad, MD

Role: CONTACT

camilla.kvestad@ntnu.no

References

Kvestad CA, Holte IR, Reitan SK, Chiappa CS, Helle GK, Skjervold AE, Rosenlund AMA, Watne O, Brattland H, Helle J, Follestad T, Hara KW, Holgersen KH. Measuring the Effect of the Early assessment Team (MEET) for patients referred to outpatient mental health care: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2024 Mar 11;25(1):179. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08028-6.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 38468321 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

244508

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id