Improving suicide prevention in pediatric primary care
Signature Project
This project tries a stepped approach to help pediatric clinics find and support adolescents who may be thinking about suicide.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11139597 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child visits a participating pediatric primary care clinic, clinicians will start using routine screening, safety planning, and follow-up supports aimed at reducing suicide risk. Clinics will switch from usual care to the new program in stages so researchers can compare outcomes across sites over time. The project combines testing whether the approach reduces suicidal thoughts and attempts with studying how to best put these practices into real-world clinics. Data will come from clinic records, patient follow-up, and quality-improvement measures to see if the program works and can be spread to other clinics.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents (about age 10–19) who receive care at participating pediatric primary care clinics, especially those who screen positive for suicide risk or report suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Not a fit: Adults, children outside the study age range, or youth who do not receive care at participating clinics are unlikely to be included or benefit directly from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help primary care clinicians identify at-risk youth sooner and provide timely supports that lower the chance of attempts and deaths.
How similar studies have performed: Related approaches like universal screening and safety planning have shown promise in emergency departments, but using them in routine primary care for adolescents is less tested.
Where this research is happening
Columbus, United States
- Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp — Columbus, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fontanella, Cynthia Ann — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Fontanella, Cynthia Ann
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.