Recruiting

Peer Support Workers

Sponsor:

University of British Columbia

Code:

NCT07030192

Conditions

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Peer support service

Study Details

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.

Conditions

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Study ID

NCT07030192

Start date

Nov 23, 2024

Status verified date

Nov, 2025

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

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

Study Design

Enrollment

3181 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: 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

no intervention: 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

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.

Primary outcome measure

  • Distribution of randomized Peer shifts by day of week [ Time Frame: Over the 48-week randomized schedule period approved to meet hospital staffing policy ]
  • Proportion of Peer interactions with complete standardized documentation [ Time Frame: Up to 15 months post-study initiation ]
  • Identification of substance use-related ED visits for Peer and No Peer shift comparison [ Time Frame: Up to 15 months post-study initiation ]
  • Characterization of Patients Receiving the Peer Intervention [ Time Frame: Baseline. Up to 15 months post-study initiation. ]
  • Patients leaving the ED prior to completing care [ Time Frame: Baseline. Data will be linked and assessed at the conclusion of the feasibility study, up to 15 months post-study initiation. ]
  • "Treatment effect in the treated" analysis [ Time Frame: Up to 15 months post-study initiation ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Cindy Liu, BSc

778-929-1281cindy.q.liu@ubc.ca

Elle Wang, MSc

604-615-2538elle.wang@ubc.ca

Locations

Vancouver General Hospital

Recruiting

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1M9

Contacts

Jessica Moe, MD

jessica.moe@ubc.ca

More Information

Sponsor

University of British Columbia

Last update posted

Nov 21, 2025

Last verified

Nov, 2025

Keywords

  • Peer support workers
  • Substance use
  • Emergency department

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of British Columbia on 2025-11-21.