Peer support enhanced behavioural crisis response teams in the emergency department: protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial.

introductionDespite expert recommendations to prioritise non-invasive and patient-centred approaches for behavioural crisis management, physical restraints are commonly used in the emergency department (ED). Patients describe the restraint process as coercive and dehumanising. The use of peer support workers, who are individuals with lived experience of mental illness and behavioural conditions, has shown positive patient outcomes when assisting individuals experiencing behavioural crises. However, there is limited evidence of the implementation of such an approach in the ED setting. The goal of this study is to evaluate if the implementation of a Peer support enhanced Agitation Crisis response Team (PACT) for behavioural crisis management in the ED is more effective than usual care to reduce restraint use and improve outcomes among patients presenting to the ED with behavioural crises. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will first conduct a stakeholder-informed needs assessment to codesign the protocol and then train staff and peers in PACT intervention readiness. Next, a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial will be conducted over 3 years at five ED sites across a healthcare system in the Northeast USA. The PACT intervention will integrate peer delivery of trauma-informed care within a structured, interprofessional, team-based response protocol for behavioural crisis management. The primary outcome is the rate of physical restraint and/or sedation use. The secondary outcome is the level of patient agitation during the ED visit. Analyses of primary and secondary outcomes will be conducted using generalised linear mixed models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol has been approved by the Yale University Human Investigation Committee (protocol number 2000037554). The study is deemed minimal risk and has been granted a waiver of consent for trial participants. However, verbal consent will be obtained for a subset of patients receiving follow-up data collection. Results will be disseminated through publications in open-access, peer-reviewed journals, via scientific presentations, or through direct mail notifications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT06556069.