Launching the Houston Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (Houston-HVIP): Developing and Evaluating a Hospital-Based Intervention to Reduce Recurrent Violence

NCT06263647 | Recruiting DMC

• 3 other identifiers: HSC-MS-23-0904UG3NR021232UH3NR021232
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 274
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

A prior violent injury is one of the strongest predictors of future violent injury, highlighting the importance of effective hospital-based interventions to prevent reinjury. This project will establish and evaluate the Houston Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (Houston-HVIP). Using a randomized controlled trial, the study will assess the effectiveness of Houston-HVIP in reducing violent reinjury and improving behavioral, mental, and physical health outcomes over a 12-month follow-up period among those enrolled in the study in ages 16-35 years of age.

Conditions

Firearm Injury

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in repeat violent victimization as assessed by the number of participants who return to the hospital system for for an intentional firearm injury

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change in repeat non-firearm violent victimization as assessed by the number of participants who return to the hospital system for an intentional non-firearm injury

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

• Change in attitudes towards firearm violence as assessed by Firearm Violences Attitudes (Sheley; Shapiro) questionnaire

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

• Change in post-traumatic stress as assessed by the post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Version 5(PCL-5)

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

• Change in aggression as assessed by the Copeland-Linder questionnaire.

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

• Change in general health as assessed by the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12)

  Baseline , 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Houston-HVIP treatment group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Houston-HVIP treatment

Standard of Care group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Standard of Care

Interventions

Houston-HVIP treatment BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be assigned a case manager to provide a brief assessment of , psychological and social needs and a risk assessment and create individualized discharge planning. Participants will be referred to tailored social service programs based on the needs, including assessments of social determinants of health, educational and financial needs, and subsequent referral for programs such as job training, educational support, housing assistance, or financial assistance programs for identified needs. Participants identified at risk for violence perpetration via a risk assessment screener will be referred to the violence interrupter services. Long-term opportunities for engagement with the trauma survivors' network within Memorial Hermann Hospital will be available and encouraged.Participants will receive a structured curriculum that will include regular check-in with an assigned case manager over 6 months to promote successful community-based program integration and completion.

Houston-HVIP treatment group

Standard of Care BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be assigned a case manager to meet with the injured patients to briefly assess (a) psychological and social needs and (b) a risk assessment and create individualized discharge planning. Resources for the patient to connect with social service programs will be provided by the case manager. Long-term opportunities for engagement with the trauma survivors' network within Memorial Hermann Hospital will be available and encouraged. Follow-up contacts and services from an assigned case manager over two weeks following discharge from the hospital to ensure that the patient has contacted the community-level violence outreach organizations.

Standard of Care group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• presented for a gunshot injury stemming from community violence at Memorial Hermann Hospital
• English or Spanish-speaking
• provide informed voluntary consent to participate in the study
• live in Harris County at time of enrollment

You may not qualify if:

• presenting for a firearm injury arising from a self-inflicted gunshot or unintentional gun violence
• actively detained by criminal justice systems at time of enrollment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston: lead
• National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Standard of Care

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Quality Indicators, Health Care; Quality of Health Care; Health Services Administration; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Study Officials

• Sandra McKay, MD

  The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Alexander Testa, PhD

  The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sandra McKay, MD

CONTACT

(713) 500-5666; Sandra.McKay@uth.tmc.edu

Alexander Testa, PhD

CONTACT

(210) 276-9000; Alexander.Testa@uth.tmc.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants will be partially blinded in that they will know some information about the intervention but will not be exposed to the details of the intervention or the intervention manual.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 8, 2024
• First Posted: February 16, 2024
• Study Start: September 16, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2028
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)