Acute Illness
Conditions
Keywords
ED Overcrowding, Length of stay, Emergency triage, triage
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial will introduce a triage liaison physician (TLP) into the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency Department (ED) and assess the influence on patients who leave without being seen, ED length of stay, and other ED Overcrowding outcomes.
Detailed description
ED Overcrowding is a significant cause of delayed care, patient dissatisfaction, and poor outcomes in North American EDs. This intervention has not been widely studied; however, it represents an opportunity for improving patient flows in EDs.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTriage Liaison Physician
triage liaison physician stationed with nurses at the triage desk of the Emergency Department.
Sponsors
University of Alberta
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Only adult patients (\> 17 years of age) presenting to the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency Department (UAH ED), during the study interval will be included in the evaluation.
Exclusion criteria
* Direct admits/Pediatric patients.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Median patient length of stay | while in the Emergency Department |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Left without being seen | while in the Emergency Department |
| ambulance turnaround times | while in the Emergency Department |
| satisfaction (physicians and nurses) | following their Emergency Department shift |
| TLP activity | while in the Emergency Department |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed