Peer Support Workers Feasibility Study

NCT ID: NCT07030192

Last Updated: 2025-11-21

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 3181 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-11-23
• Study Completion Date: 2027-12-31

Brief Summary

Many people with high-risk opioid use visit emergency departments (EDs), facing a high risk of death if they leave before completing care. Peer support workers (Peer) - people with lived experience of substance use - may improve patient comfort, reduce early departures, and potentially lower mortality rates. This study aims to evaluate how a hospital-implemented ED Peer program can enhance patient support, reduce barriers to care, and provide harm-reduction resources in a person-centred and trauma-informed manner. The study will also validate the outcome and obtain preliminary estimates of the benefits of decreasing patients who leave the ED before completing care.

Detailed Description

The main objectives of the study are to 1) to describe, and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel ED Peer program implemented by the Vancouver Coastal Health at the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) ED, 2) to evaluate the feasibility of creating a randomized shift schedule in support of a future definitive randomized controlled trial, 3) to validate outcomes related to patients leaving before completing care using administrative data from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), and 4) to obtain preliminary estimates of incidence of patients who leave the ED before completing care, to inform sample size calculations for a definitive randomized controlled trial.

The study will take place at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), a large ED with approximately 97,000 visits per year, serving a diverse urban population. Investigators will evaluate our randomized shift schedule generation, and will describe our intervention and patient population through data within our Peer interaction logs and linkages to regional data. To understand our intervention and patient and provider experiences, investigators will use a mixed methods design to comprehensively collect, analyze, and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data. This approach will provide insights from multiple perspectives, offering a robust understanding of the relationships and potential contradictions within the evidence, thereby enriching the data and deepening our understanding of the findings.

Investigators will evaluate feasibility and acceptability of the Peer program at engaging patients with specific demographic, health history, and risk profiles. Investigators will assess the degree to which patients of different backgrounds access and engage with Peer services, and what characteristics affect patient acceptance of Peer services offered. Investigators will then work with the ED leadership team to target and tailor the program to best meet the needs of patients at highest risk.

This feasibility study will set the foundation for a definitive randomized controlled trial, which will be the first to compare patients with substance use who leave EDs before completing care during shifts with Peer availability versus without, addressing a critical knowledge gap. The definitive trial will engage multiple sites across Canada to rigorously evaluate ED Peer effectiveness, with the potential to scale up an intervention that could improve patient outcomes on a national scale.

Conditions

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Peer support service

Patients presenting with substance use related complaints during days and times where a Peer is available to provide services, as per an a priori, randomized schedule

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Peer support service

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Peers approach identified patients who could potentially benefit from peer support services. Peers offer a range of supports tailored to individual patients' needs, which include referrals to clinical and social support services (e.g., social work, addictions specialist, Indigenous patient navigator, community-based addictions resources), resources (e.g., blankets, food, naloxone kit, sterile drug use supplies, information brochures), providing emotional support, and liaising between patients and healthcare providers to communicate information about patients' condition and ED trajectory.

Peer support workers share their personal experiences to guide patients through their ED visit and to facilitate awareness and understanding of available resources.

No Peer intervention

Patients with substance use presentations who present to EDs on days and times when a Peer is not available, as per an a priori, randomized schedule

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Peer support service

Peers approach identified patients who could potentially benefit from peer support services. Peers offer a range of supports tailored to individual patients' needs, which include referrals to clinical and social support services (e.g., social work, addictions specialist, Indigenous patient navigator, community-based addictions resources), resources (e.g., blankets, food, naloxone kit, sterile drug use supplies, information brochures), providing emotional support, and liaising between patients and healthcare providers to communicate information about patients' condition and ED trajectory.

Peer support workers share their personal experiences to guide patients through their ED visit and to facilitate awareness and understanding of available resources.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Emergency Department (ED) patient at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH)
• Age 18 years or older
• Identified as using substances
• Able to receive or decline peer support services during the ED visit

Exclusion Criteria

• Under 18 years of age
• Does not report substance use

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

Sponsors

University of British Columbia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

BC Centers for Disease Control

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Responsible Party

Jessica Moe

Assistant Professor UBC Department of Emergency Medicine

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Jessica Moe, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of British Columbia

Locations

Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Canada

Central Contacts

Cindy Liu, BSc

Role: CONTACT

cindy.q.liu@ubc.ca

778-929-1281

Elle Wang, MSc

Role: CONTACT

elle.wang@ubc.ca

604-615-2538

Facility Contacts

Jessica Moe, MD

Role: primary

jessica.moe@ubc.ca

Other Identifiers

H24-03008

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id