I-CARE digital program to teach coping skills during psychiatric boarding
Official title: I-CARE: Efficacy of a Digital Health Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation During Psychiatric Boarding
Run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · NCT07150832 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether the I-CARE digital program helps adolescents (ages 12–17) boarding in the emergency department for suicide risk learn coping skills and feel less distressed.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 12 Years to 17 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 173 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 4 sites (New Haven, Connecticut and 3 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 6, 2025 |
| Main results expected | June 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | June 30, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | October 1, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07150832 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adolescents aged 12–17 who are medically stable, English-speaking, present to the ED with suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or self-harm, and are awaiting inpatient psychiatric transfer or disposition are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with active psychosis, cognitive or developmental delays that prevent participation, behavioral limitations that preclude engagement, non–English-speaking caregivers, or who are medically unstable are unlikely to benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
I-CARE is a modular, web-based intervention of seven animated videos and workbook exercises delivering brief, evidence-based psychosocial skills grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy. The program is facilitated one-on-one by non-clinical staff (licensed nursing assistants) who provide standard safety supervision while youth await inpatient psychiatric transfer. Youth presenting to the ED with suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or self-harm who are medically stable and English-speaking are randomized at the patient level to receive I-CARE plus standard safety supervision or standard safety supervision alone. The trial is conducted at participating academic hospital sites in New England.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, I-CARE could help youth learn coping skills and reduce acute suicide-related distress during boarding while adding minimal new resources for hospitals.
How similar studies have gone: Brief CBT-based skills interventions have shown benefit for suicidal youth in other settings, but delivering a digital, facilitator-led program specifically during ED psychiatric boarding is largely untested and represents a novel application.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Adolescents of any sex and gender, aged 12-17 years at ED visit or hospital encounter * Presenting with suicide attempt or ideation, or self-harm * Medically stable * English-speaking * Awaiting transfer for inpatient psychiatric care or disposition. Exclusion Criteria: * Cognitive or developmental delays precluding participation (intellectual functioning \<12 years of age) * Behavioral limitations that preclude program participation * Active psychosis * Legal parent/caregiver unable to speak English or unavailable to provide consent (e.g. Wards of the State)
Where it's running
-
Yale
New Haven, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, United States Recruiting -
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire, United States Not yet recruiting -
Dartmouth Health
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States Not yet recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: JoAnna K. Leyenaar, MD, PhD, MPH — Dartmouth College
- Study coordinator: Stephanie C. Acquilano, MA
- Email: stephanie.acquilano@dartmouth.edu
- Phone: 603-848-4742
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.