Psychiatric EmergencyNCT05771545
Telepsychiatry to Enable Expedited Disposition of Psychiatric Emergencies
An observational study of Psychiatric Emergency, run by Hebrew University of Jerusalem at 8 sites in Israel.
Trial summary
The goal of this observational study is to examine the effect of using a video link for evaluation of patients in the psychiatric emergency room. Under current Israeli law, the attending physician must come in to physically examine the patient before they can be admitted involuntarily. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Psychiatric Emergency
- What is being tested?
- Telepsychiatry
- How many people
- 959 participants
- Where
- 8 sitesIsrael
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2023to 30 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: All patients who are evaluated for involuntary psychiatric admission via the ED, who meet the above criteria.
Who may be able to join
- Must be evaluated in the psychiatric ED for potential involuntary admission
Who cannot join
- Not justice-involved (i.e., brought in by police after committing a crime)
Trial locations and contacts
8 sites in 1 country.
8 sites in 1 country
Israel8 sites
HaEmek Medical Center
Afula
Jerusalem Mental Health Center - Eitanim
Jerusalem
Jerusalem Mental Health Center
Jerusalem
Shaar Menashe Psychiatric Hospital
Pardés H̱anna Karkur
Geha Psychiatric Hospital
Petah Tikva
Ziv Medical Center
Safed
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
Tel Aviv
Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center
Tsur Moshe
About this study
The goal of this observational study is to examine the effect of using a video link for evaluation of patients in the psychiatric emergency room. Under current Israeli law, the attending physician must come in to physically examine the patient before they can be admitted involuntarily. Patients often de-compensate and even may become violent while waiting for the attending to arrive. Previous studies have shown that evaluation of such patients via video-link has an extremely high concordance with in person evaluation. This study will compare patients who are evaluated via video-link with historical controls evaluated under usual conditions. This is an observational study, which is taking advantage of a change in practice to collect data on two different ways of delivering care, via chart reviews. If successful, this study will show that the video-link is feasible and acceptable to patients and staff. The following hypotheses will be tested:
- The intervention will result in shorter ED time compared to historical controls.
- The intervention will result in fewer violent incidents compared to historical controls.
- The intervention will result in shorter overall hospital length of stay compared to historical controls.
- Conditions
- Psychiatric Emergency
- Being tested
- Telepsychiatry
- Keywords
- telepsychiatry, implementation science
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TelepsychiatryOther
Instead of coming to the hospital physically, the attending psychiatrist will evaluate the patient via a video-link.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Innovation (Usual Care) | Patients evaluated in the psychiatric emergency department for possible involuntary admission during the year prior to the innovation in care. During this period, the attending psychiatrist was required to physically come to the hospital to examine the patient. | |
| Innovation (Tele-Psychiatry) | Patients evaluated in the psychiatric emergency department for possible involuntary admission during the innovation period. Instead of physically coming to the hospital, the attending physician will evaluate the patient via video-link, which will be facilitated by the on-site psychiatric resident. Receives: Other: Telepsychiatry |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
ED Time
Amount of time, in hours and minutes, that the patient spends in the ED prior to disposition
Measured: Patients arrive in the ED at a specific time and leave the ED at a specific time. We will compute the amount of time spent in the ED by each patient, up to two weeks.
Secondary outcomes (2)
Violent Incidents
Adjudicated violent incidents that occur, whether in the ED or on the psychiatry ward. Includes hitting, kicking, throwing, and property destruction
Measured: Patients arrive in the ED at a specific time. Those who are admitted are eventually discharged. Violent incidents can occur during the entire time spent in the hospital, whether in the ED or on the ward, up to 90 days total.
Hospital Length of Stay
Length of stay, in days, starting with time of arrival to ED
Measured: For patients admitted to the hospital through the ED, the beginning time is their arrival to ED, the end is the time of hospital discharge, up to 90 days later.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Mar 2023
- Study start1 Jul 2023
- Primary completion30 Dec 2024
- Study completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Psychiatric EmergencyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 959 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Adam Rose, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05771545
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HebrewUJ123
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 2 Mar 2023
- Last updated
- 8 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: It is not possible to share IPD because of data security concerns and the stipulations of the research ethics committees that are approving the study
Publications
Shalev L, Lubin G, Kirresh S, Barash I, Tamary Guterman A, Bloemhof-Bris E, Hirschmann S, Avni A, Avirame K, Linder M, Bathish D, Badran R, Turm Y, Bloch B, Konas S, Izakson L, Asad F, Melamed Y, Raskin S, Raz D, Eitan R, Rose AJ. Adapting to the digital age in psychiatry: evaluating change in emergency department nurses and psychiatrists' views toward telepsychiatry for involuntary hospitalization. Front Digit Health. 2026 May 12;8:1810008. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1810008. eCollection 2026.
PubMed 42206074Shalev L, Bistre M, Lubin G, Avirame K, Raskin S, Linkovski O, Eitan R, Rose AJ. Enabling Expedited Disposition of Emergencies Using Telepsychiatry in Israel: Protocol for a Hybrid Implementation Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Oct 17;12:e49405. doi: 10.2196/49405.
PubMed 37847548
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Telepsychiatry to Enable Expedited Disposition of Psychiatric Emergencies
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05771545
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HebrewUJ123
- Conditions
- Psychiatric Emergency
- Keywords
- telepsychiatry, implementation science
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 959 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Hebrew University of JerusalemUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 16 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 8 Jan 2026
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this observational study is to examine the effect of using a video link for evaluation of patients in the psychiatric emergency room. Under current Israeli law, the attending physician must come in to physically examine the patient before they can be admitted involuntarily. Patients often de-compensate and even may become violent while waiting for the attending to arrive. Previous studies have shown that evaluation of such patients via video-link has an extremely high concordance with in person evaluation. This study will compare patients who are evaluated via video-link with historical controls evaluated under usual conditions. This is an observational study, which is taking advantage of a change in practice to collect data on two different ways of delivering care, via chart reviews. If successful, this study will show that the video-link is feasible and acceptable to patients and staff. The following hypotheses will be tested:
- The intervention will result in shorter ED time compared to historical controls.
- The intervention will result in fewer violent incidents compared to historical controls.
- The intervention will result in shorter overall hospital length of stay compared to historical controls.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Innovation (Usual Care) | – | –Patients evaluated in the psychiatric emergency department for possible involuntary admission during the year prior to the innovation in care. During this period, the attending psychiatrist was required to physically come to the hospital to examine the patient. |
| Innovation (Tele-Psychiatry) | – | Other: TelepsychiatryPatients evaluated in the psychiatric emergency department for possible involuntary admission during the innovation period. Instead of physically coming to the hospital, the attending physician will evaluate the patient via video-link, which will be facilitated by the on-site psychiatric resident. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- All patients who are evaluated for involuntary psychiatric admission via the ED, who meet the above criteria.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Must be evaluated in the psychiatric ED for potential involuntary admission
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Not justice-involved (i.e., brought in by police after committing a crime)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| TelepsychiatryInstead of coming to the hospital physically, the attending psychiatrist will evaluate the patient via a video-link. | Other | Innovation (Tele-Psychiatry) |
Primary outcome
ED Time
Time frame: Patients arrive in the ED at a specific time and leave the ED at a specific time. We will compute the amount of time spent in the ED by each patient, up to two weeks.
Amount of time, in hours and minutes, that the patient spends in the ED prior to disposition
2 secondary outcomes
Violent Incidents
Time frame: Patients arrive in the ED at a specific time. Those who are admitted are eventually discharged. Violent incidents can occur during the entire time spent in the hospital, whether in the ED or on the ward, up to 90 days total.
Hospital Length of Stay
Time frame: For patients admitted to the hospital through the ED, the beginning time is their arrival to ED, the end is the time of hospital discharge, up to 90 days later.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Jan 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42206074Shalev L, Lubin G, Kirresh S, Barash I, Tamary Guterman A, Bloemhof-Bris E, Hirschmann S, Avni A, Avirame K, Linder M, Bathish D, Badran R, Turm Y, Bloch B, Konas S, Izakson L, Asad F, Melamed Y, Raskin S, Raz D, Eitan R, Rose AJ. Adapting to the digital age in psychiatry: evaluating change in emergency department nurses and psychiatrists' views toward telepsychiatry for involuntary hospitalization. Front Digit Health. 2026 May 12;8:1810008. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1810008. eCollection 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 37847548Shalev L, Bistre M, Lubin G, Avirame K, Raskin S, Linkovski O, Eitan R, Rose AJ. Enabling Expedited Disposition of Emergencies Using Telepsychiatry in Israel: Protocol for a Hybrid Implementation Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Oct 17;12:e49405. doi: 10.2196/49405.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. It is not possible to share IPD because of data security concerns and the stipulations of the research ethics committees that are approving the study
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
8 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Psychiatric Emergency, run by Hebrew University of Jerusalem at 8 sites in Israel.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 8 sites in Israel. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 8 Jan 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
ED Time (time frame: Patients arrive in the ED at a specific time and leave the ED at a specific time. We will compute the amount of time spent in the ED by each patient, up to two weeks.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05771545, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Jan 2026.