Testing Peer support service for substance use disorder (SUD)
Official title: Peer Support Workers Feasibility Study
Promoting Safety and Equity in Chaos: A Feasibility Study of Peer Support Workers to Support People Who Use Drugs in Emergency Departments
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.
Canadian Sites (1)
Vancouver General Hospital
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for6 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +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
- −Under 18 years of age
- −Does not report substance use
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a way to improve comfort and quality of life alongside other care.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
What is being given or done in this study: Peer support service.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
- armsInterventionsModule.interventions[].name
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment at all, and is followed for comparison.
There are 2 groups in this study.
From the trial registry
Built from this field:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Who the study is looking for
The study lists a minimum age of 18 years, with no upper limit given.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 3,181 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around December 2027.
The main measurement is taken over: Over the 48-week randomizedRandomisedWhich group you go into is decided by chance, not by you or your doctor.Read more → schedule period approved to meet hospital staffing policy.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Distribution of randomizedRandomisedWhich group you go into is decided by chance, not by you or your doctor.Read more → Peer shifts by day of week — measured over Over the 48-week randomized schedule period approved to meet hospital staffing policy.
Proportion of Peer interactions with complete standardized documentation — measured over Up to 15 months post-study initiation.
Identification of substance use-related ED visits for Peer and No Peer shift comparison — measured over Up to 15 months post-study initiation.
Characterization of Patients Receiving the Peer Intervention — measured over BaselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more →. Up to 15 months post-study initiation.
The study lists 2 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT07030192 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About Peer support serviceBehavioural
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.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a behavioural is here: A programme, therapy, education, or lifestyle approach being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: a minimum age of 18 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment and is followed for comparison.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists a minimum age of 18 years, with no upper limit given.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Over the 48-week randomizedRandomisedWhich group you go into is decided by chance, not by you or your doctor.Read more → schedule period approved to meet hospital staffing policy.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2027-12.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 3,181 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
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.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.