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Acute IllnessPhase 4NCT00497393

Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) - Evaluation of a Novel Approach to Address Emergency Department Overcrowding

A Phase 4 study testing Clinical Decision Unit in people with Acute Illness, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This randomized controlled trial will introduce a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) into the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency Department(ED)and assess the influence on ED length of stay, patients who leave without being seen, and other ED Overcrowding outcomes. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 17 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Acute Illness
What is being tested?
Clinical Decision Unit
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
6,217 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Jul 2007to Dec 2007
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 17 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 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.

Who cannot join

  • Direct admits/Pediatric patients.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • University of Alberta Hospital

    Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7

Other trials in Canada

About this study

This randomized controlled trial will introduce a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) into the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency Department(ED)and assess the influence on ED length of stay, patients who leave without being seen, and other ED Overcrowding outcomes.

Read the detailed description

The study will take place over a 6-week period that will be spilt into three-two-week blocks. Using computerized blocks of 2 weeks, days of the week will be randomly allocated so that each day of the week receives one intervention (CDU) and one control day for the study period. The CDU involves transforming an ED bed location to a 6-chair internal waiting room with 2 adjacent beds assigned to act as assessment and treatment locations. Patients will transition between the chair and stretcher to optimize the use of ED space.

Conditions
Acute Illness
Being tested
Clinical Decision Unit
Keywords
Emergency department, administration, overcrowding
Medical subject headings
Emergencies, Crowding

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Clinical Decision UnitBehavioural

    a dedicated 2-bed area to see patients and then rotate them back into the waiting room area for labs and diagnostic imaging.

Study groups in NCT00497393
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ControlNo interventionregular use of the 2-bed areas in the Emergency department
Receives: Behavioral: Clinical Decision Unit

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Total ED length of stay

    Measured: in the Emergency Department

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Left without being seen (LWBS) rates

    Measured: in the Emergency Department

  2. nurse and physician satisfaction

    Measured: following Emergency Department shift

  3. ambulance turnaround times (time

    Measured: in the Emergency Department

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Jul 2007 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2007
  3. Primary completionAug 2007
  4. Study completionDec 2007

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
6,217 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00497393
Sponsor's protocol ID
B-130607
Status last verified
Sep 2008
First submitted
5 Jul 2007
Last updated
12 Sep 2008
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Clinical Decision Unit in people with Acute Illness, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.

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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Sep 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Total ED length of stay (time frame: in the Emergency Department). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 12 Sep 2008.

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