Cough, Difficulty Breathing, Hypoxemia, Respiratory Symptoms, Shortness of Breath
Conditions
Keywords
Emergency Room, Respiratory Assessment, Work of Breathing
Brief summary
The proposed research study will be a prospective observational study designed to validate the Canadian Triage Assessment Scale (CTAS) in regard to work of breathing in patients in the emergency department. The investigators will assess inter-rater agreement between nurses & emergency physicians for assessment of work of breathing.
Detailed description
Investigators will enroll a convenience sample of consenting patients who present to the emergency department with a chief complaint related to respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, cough, difficulty breathing, hypoxemia, or any other respiratory related complaint. Following consent and in a blinded fashion, the nurse & emergency physician will be asked to evaluate the patient's work of breathing into three subjective categories: mild, moderate, or severe. The two evaluators will not be aware of the others evaluation of the patient. Evaluators will also be asked to predict the patients likely need for intervention & disposition. Subsequently, investigators will perform a chart review to determine the patient's clinical interventions, outcomes, and dispositions, and evaluate the assessment of the patients work of breathing.
Interventions
OTHERCanadian Triage Assessment Scale (CTAS)
The CTAS incorporates work of breathing into a subjective measurement in its assessment of patients and triaged.
Sponsors
CHRISTUS Health
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
OTHER
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age of older * Presenting to the emergency department with a chief complaint of any type of respiratory symptom.
Exclusion criteria
* Under 18 years of age * Refusal to consent to study * Incarcerated patients * Pregnant patients * Unable to complete survey due to clinical instability, severe pain, or disorientation determined by a study physician.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inter-rater agreement between nurses and emergency physicians for the respiratory component of the Canadian Assessment Scale (CTAS) | 24 months | The CTAS is utilized to qualitatively define work of breathing as severe, moderate, or mild. Kappa will be calculated to assess inter-rater reliability |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed