Emergency Department VisitNCT00625027
The Effect of Telehealth Ontario on Non-urgent Emergency Department Use at The Hospital for Sick Children
An observational study of Emergency Department Visit, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to compare the rate of non-urgent emergency department use between three groups of patients: those who were referred to the emergency department by Telehealth Ontario; those who were referred by a physician; and those who arrived without being advised by a nurse or a doctor. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages Up to 18 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Emergency Department Visit
- What is being tested?
- Survey and Chart Review
- How many people
- 115 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Mar 2004to Sep 2006
- Phase
- Observational
- 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 Up to 18 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Study population: All children presenting to the ED between 0600 and 2400 during the study period
Who may be able to join
- All children presenting to the ED between 0600 and 2400 during the study period
Who cannot join
- Children arriving without an adult, as consent could not be obtained.
- Children with whose parents communication was not possible in English, as it was not possible to provide translation services for this study.
- Children arriving by direct transfer from another hospital.
- Children arriving by ambulance summoned by someone other than the parent or guardian.
- Children arriving at the ED for a pre-arranged visit/appointment.
- Children requiring immediate resuscitation.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The purpose of this study is to compare the rate of non-urgent emergency department use between three groups of patients: those who were referred to the emergency department by Telehealth Ontario; those who were referred by a physician; and those who arrived without being advised by a nurse or a doctor.
Read the detailed description
Some studies have shown that certain telephone nursing advice lines are effective in reducing non-urgent emergency department use. However, to my knowledge, no study has investigated the efficacy of Telehealth Ontario in particular. There are important differences between Telehealth Ontario and other phone lines that have been evaluated, in terms of the method in which calls are handled, the diversity of the population served, and the place of the phone-in line within the health care system. These studies, the results of which cannot be extrapolated directly to Telehealth Ontario, should not replace the direct study of the impact and utility of Telehealth Ontario.
Currently Telehealth Ontario receives over 3000 calls daily from residents of Ontario who are concerned about their health. These callers rely on the advise of Telehealth nurses to direct the care they seek out for themselves and for their families. The provincial government also relies on Telehealth Ontario - to provide a useful service within the health care system, relieving the pressure on over-crowded emergency departments by directing patients with non-urgent medical complaints to more appropriate avenues of treatment. This will be the first study to examine the impact of Telehealth Ontario. Although only a small aspect of Telehealth's impact will be examined - the impact on non-urgent emergency department use at Sick Kids - it is an important first step. The results of this study may serve to guide modifications to Telehealth that will make it more accessible to specific groups within the community, more reliable in the advice it provides, and more effective in delivering its message to callers.
- Conditions
- Emergency Department Visit
- Being tested
- Survey and Chart Review
- Keywords
- Emergency Department Visit, Telehealth Ontario, Triage Levels
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Survey and Chart ReviewOther
After obtaining consent the survey will be completed. After a staff physician has assessed the patient, the chart will be consulted to retrieve the triage notes, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge recommendations. The physician will be asked to comment on the 'urgency' of the complaint and whether the patient would have been treated equally well at a walk-in clinic.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Children presenting to the Emergency Department under the care of a parent or guardian, between 0600 and 2400 during the study period. Receives: Other: Survey and Chart Review |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
The triage categories among patients who did or did not have contact with a health care professional prior to arrival in the ED.
Measured: At time of visit to the ED
Secondary outcomes (1)
The demographic and other details of patients arriving with urgent compared to non- urgent complaints.
Measured: At time of visit to the ED
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Feb 2008 (estimated)
- Study startMar 2004
- Primary completionSep 2006
- Study completionSep 2006
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emergency Department VisitStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The Hospital for Sick ChildrenThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 115 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dennis Scolnik, The Hospital for Sick Children
- Investigators
- Dennis Scolnik, MB ChB, Study chair, The Hospital for Sick Children
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00625027
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1000004841
- Status last verified
- Jul 2013
- First submitted
- 19 Feb 2008
- Last updated
- 2 Aug 2013
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Aug 2013. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Telehealth Ontario on Non-urgent Emergency Department Use at The Hospital for Sick Children
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00625027
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1000004841
- Conditions
- Emergency Department Visit
- Keywords
- Emergency Department Visit, Telehealth Ontario, Triage Levels
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 115 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Mar 2004
- Primary completion
- Sep 2006 (actual)
- Study completion
- Sep 2006 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Feb 2008 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to compare the rate of non-urgent emergency department use between three groups of patients: those who were referred to the emergency department by Telehealth Ontario; those who were referred by a physician; and those who arrived without being advised by a nurse or a doctor.
Detailed description
Some studies have shown that certain telephone nursing advice lines are effective in reducing non-urgent emergency department use. However, to my knowledge, no study has investigated the efficacy of Telehealth Ontario in particular. There are important differences between Telehealth Ontario and other phone lines that have been evaluated, in terms of the method in which calls are handled, the diversity of the population served, and the place of the phone-in line within the health care system. These studies, the results of which cannot be extrapolated directly to Telehealth Ontario, should not replace the direct study of the impact and utility of Telehealth Ontario.
Currently Telehealth Ontario receives over 3000 calls daily from residents of Ontario who are concerned about their health. These callers rely on the advise of Telehealth nurses to direct the care they seek out for themselves and for their families. The provincial government also relies on Telehealth Ontario - to provide a useful service within the health care system, relieving the pressure on over-crowded emergency departments by directing patients with non-urgent medical complaints to more appropriate avenues of treatment. This will be the first study to examine the impact of Telehealth Ontario. Although only a small aspect of Telehealth's impact will be examined - the impact on non-urgent emergency department use at Sick Kids - it is an important first step. The results of this study may serve to guide modifications to Telehealth that will make it more accessible to specific groups within the community, more reliable in the advice it provides, and more effective in delivering its message to callers.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | – | Other: Survey and Chart ReviewChildren presenting to the Emergency Department under the care of a parent or guardian, between 0600 and 2400 during the study period. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- Up to 18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
- Study population
- All children presenting to the ED between 0600 and 2400 during the study period
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- All children presenting to the ED between 0600 and 2400 during the study period
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Children arriving without an adult, as consent could not be obtained.
- Children with whose parents communication was not possible in English, as it was not possible to provide translation services for this study.
- Children arriving by direct transfer from another hospital.
- Children arriving by ambulance summoned by someone other than the parent or guardian.
- Children arriving at the ED for a pre-arranged visit/appointment.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and Chart ReviewAfter obtaining consent the survey will be completed. After a staff physician has assessed the patient, the chart will be consulted to retrieve the triage notes, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge recommendations. The physician will be asked to comment on the 'urgency' of the complaint and whether the patient would have been treated equally well at a walk-in clinic. | Other | Group 1 |
Primary outcome
The triage categories among patients who did or did not have contact with a health care professional prior to arrival in the ED.
Time frame: At time of visit to the ED
1 secondary outcome
The demographic and other details of patients arriving with urgent compared to non- urgent complaints.
Time frame: At time of visit to the ED
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Aug 2013.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Dennis Scolnik, MB ChB study chair
The Hospital for Sick Children
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Emergency Department Visit, run by The Hospital for Sick Children 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 6 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 2 Aug 2013. 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.
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?
The triage categories among patients who did or did not have contact with a health care professional prior to arrival in the ED. (time frame: At time of visit to the ED). 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 2 Aug 2013.