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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02703701

Role of Provider-at-Triage on ED Efficiency and Quality of Care

The United States spends over $8,000 per capita annually on health care and its health care system is more expensive than other developed countries. Even with high per capita costs and a high proportion of physician specialists, the US lags in health care performance from patients' perspectives.

The hospital emergency department (ED) is often the portal of entry for patients seeking health care services and is therefore an ideal setting for initiatives to improve efficiency of care delivery and patient satisfaction. Reduction in wait times, enhanced information delivery and ED staff service quality all have a positive influence on patient perception of health care quality and satisfaction.

Prior studies have attempted to increase patient satisfaction by improving staff communication and courtesy, implementing a patient satisfaction team in triage, and delivering information to patients in a timely manner. Another strategy to increase the efficiency of ED operations is adding a physician to triage to perform brief medical screenings and initiate necessary patient testing and treatment. This contrasts to usual practice in which physicians evaluate patients only following registration and nurse assessment of illness or injury severity.

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Key information

Conditions

Patient Satisfaction With Emergency Department Efficiency Behavior Health Behavior Patient Satisfaction Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Age range

18 year–110 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

UF Health

Gainesville, Florida, 32608, United States

About this study

This study will assess the impact of early patient assessment by a physician at Emergency Department (ED) triage on patient perception of information delivery, overall patient satisfaction and ED efficiency. ED efficiency will be assessed by ED length of patient stay, ED left-without-being-seen and ED left during treatment rates.

Participants who decide to take part in this study, will be asked questions by research staff, who will document responses on a secure iPAD device. The survey will ask participants how they feel about their health condition, the emergency department wait, the care they received in the emergency department and how satisfied the participant was with the care received.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Participants are eligible to participate in the study if they are:

  • English speaking
  • Without hemodynamic or respiratory compromise
  • Do not have a nurse-assigned triage severity score of Emergency Severity Index 1 (most severe illness or injury score).

Exclusion criteria

Participants will be excluded if they are:

  • Unwilling or unable to sign an informed consent
  • In police custody
  • Too ill to participate in study.

Treatment and study plan

Physician at triage

Behavioral

A physician embedded at triage

Usual Care

Other

No physician at triage

Primary outcomes

  1. Patient Satisfaction

    Time frame: 60 minutes after Emergency Department triage

    Patient Satisfaction Score- brief survey measured on a Likert Scale

    • 1= Never
    • 2= Sometimes
    • 3= Usually
    • 4= Always
    • 5= Not applicable - I did not see a doctor today

Secondary outcomes

  1. Emergency Department efficiency

    Time frame: 24 hours after ED triage in minutes

    Impact of physician at triage on ED length of stay rates

  2. Left without being seen rate

    Time frame: 12 hours after ED triage in minutes

    Impact of physician at triage on left without being seen rate

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Florida

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Provider-at-Triage on Emergency Department Efficiency, Information Delivery and Patient Satisfaction

Acronym: MD at Triage

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Mar 9, 2016
Registry last updated
Sep 23, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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