Scaling Out S.A.F.E. Firearm Across Two Health Systems as a Universal Suicide Prevention Strategy (SCALE ASPIRE)

Reducing unauthorized access to firearms is a population-level suicide prevention strategy. S.A.F.E. Firearm is a universal evidence-based suicide prevention intervention primed for implementation nationally. In the largest hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial of its kind, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; "ASPIRE" trial), we tested how to implement S.A.F.E. Firearm across approximately 45,000 well-child visits in 30 pediatric primary care clinics at Henry Ford Health (HFH) in Michigan and Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO). We found that training, an electronic health record (EHR)-based clinician decision support ("nudge"), and facilitation (i.e., implementation support to clinics) resulted in robust practice change from approximately 2% reach (baseline) to 49% reach (active implementation). While the ASPIRE trial focused on delivery of the intervention to parents of young people, we have the rare opportunity to expand S.A.F.E. Firearm delivery for all adults via adult primary care and women's health clinics, offering a new context and broadened population. This holds promise given that (a) many of these patients will have children in their homes (e.g., parents, grandparents) and (b) adults may benefit from S.A.F.E. Firearm themselves because putting time and space between adults and loaded firearms can reduce firearm suicide.

The proposed study ("SCALE-ASPIRE") is motivated by HFH and KPCO constituents' eagerness to implement this intervention beyond pediatric primary care and will advance the science of implementation by understanding how to "scale-out" successful intervention and implementation efforts. In SCALE-ASPIRE, we will conduct a stepped wedge cluster randomized hybrid type II effectiveness-implementation trial in approximately 48 clinics in adult primary care and women's health at HFH and KPCO. In Aim 1, in collaboration with key partners including clinicians, leaders, and patients, we will use the ADAPT-ITT approach to adapt S.A.F.E. Firearm for the new clinic context and broadened population. In Aim 2, we will test the effectiveness of S.A.F.E. Firearm and our implementation approach (training, EHR nudge, facilitation) on effectiveness (firearm storage behavior, co-primary; suicide attempts, suicide deaths, and all-cause firearm injury and mortality, secondary) and implementation (reach, or patient-reported receipt of S.A.F.E. Firearm, co-primary; implementation fidelity and cost, secondary) outcomes. In Aim 3, the researchers will use mixed methods to elucidate intervention and implementation mechanisms and to better understand heterogeneity across levels. Specifically, we will conduct interviews to understand constituent perspectives, and explore how patient, clinician, and clinic factors relate to heterogeneity in our co-primary outcomes. Study results will guide the identification of effective secure firearm storage interventions, increase knowledge of effective implementation strategies in large health systems, and advance the literature on scaling out successful intervention and implementation efforts to new populations and settings.