Emergency MedicineFAST-EDNCT05937763
ED Adaptive Staffing Study
An observational study of Emergency Medicine and Well-Being, Psychological, run by Oak Valley Health at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Emergency Departments (EDs) across Ontario are being inundated with unprecedented high patient volumes and a staffing shortage that directly impacts patient care and flow. An area of concern among EDs is the offload zone where patients are brought in by ambulance. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Emergency Medicine, Well-Being, Psychological
- What is being tested?
- Staffing model
- How many people
- 5,917 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 2 Oct 2023to Sep 2024
- 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 Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study will use a convenience sampling method, given that patients brought in by ambulance are at random and non-predictive.
Who may be able to join
- Patients brought in by ambulance to hospitals emergency department offload area
Who cannot join
- Patients not arriving to the hospitals emergency department offload area
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Markham Stouffville Hospital
Markham, Ontario, L3P 7P3
Michelle Dimas, MSc, 9054727373 ext. 6253, mdimas@oakvalleyhealth.ca
Andrew Arcand, MD
About this study
Official title: Feasibility and Evaluation of an Adaptive STaffing Model in a Community Emergency Department (FAST-ED)
Emergency Departments (EDs) across Ontario are being inundated with unprecedented high patient volumes and a staffing shortage that directly impacts patient care and flow. An area of concern among EDs is the offload zone where patients are brought in by ambulance. EMS offload time is the time it takes paramedics to transfer a patient to the appropriate area within an emergency department and give hospital staff a summary of what concerns the patient is seeking care for. There are multiple factors that may delay this time, including limited staff in the offload area to complete the transfer process due to competing patient care responsibilities. The adaptive staffing model study will look to add a primary care paramedic (PCP) or a registered nurse (RN) in the offload zone during times of high ambulance volume (August to January) to help with patient care within the offload zone. This single-centered community hospital study will evaluate the benefits of having a PCP or RN, compared to the current model, on ambulance offload times, patient safety outcomes, patient treatment times, and staff well-being using three different models of staffing.
- Conditions
- Emergency Medicine, Well-Being, Psychological
- Being tested
- Staffing model
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Staffing modelOther
Staffing the hospitals emergency department offload zone with a PCP or RN or current workflow.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) Block | A PCP will be staffed in the emergency department offload zone 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) on a 10am - 10pm shift, in addition to the standard staffing model. Receives: Other: Staffing model | |
| Registered Nurse (RN) Block | An experienced emergency department RN with triage training will be staffed in the emergency department offload zone 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in a 10am - 10pm shift, in addition to the standard staffing model Receives: Other: Staffing model | |
| Current Workflow Block | The currently hospitals staffing models of the emergency department offload zone. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Triage Time
The aim of this objective is to compare time to triage and time to transfer of care for three models of staffing.
Measured: 6 months
Return to Service
The aim of this objective is to determine if an adaptive staffing model during peak volumes reduces ambulance offload times and return to service.
Measured: 6 months
Secondary outcomes (7)
Time to provider assessment
Measured: 6 months
Provider Feedback Survey
Explore provider perceptions (ED staff and paramedics) of each model with the aim of determining which model provides better patient care during peak volumes. Participants will self-report their perceived barriers, challenges and benefits of the staffing interventions.
Measured: 6 months
Time to treatment
Measured: 6 months
Time to disposition
Measured: 6 months
Number of incident reports
Patient safety events
Measured: 6 months
Case costing
Measured: 6 months
Well-being Index (questionnaire)
Explore staff and paramedic well-being on intervention model
Measured: 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jul 2023
- Study start2 Oct 2023
- Primary completionMar 2024 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2024 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emergency MedicineStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 5,917 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Oak Valley Health
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05937763
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 148-2306
- Acronym
- FAST-ED
- Status last verified
- Mar 2024
- First submitted
- 23 Jun 2023
- Last updated
- 22 Mar 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Aggregate data and study results will be shared via publication and conference presentations.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 Mar 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility and Evaluation of an Adaptive STaffing Model in a Community Emergency Department (FAST-ED)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05937763
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FAST-ED / 148-2306
- Conditions
- Emergency Medicine, Well-Being, Psychological
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 5,917 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Oak Valley HealthUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 2 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Mar 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2024 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jul 2023 (actual)
- 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.
Emergency Departments (EDs) across Ontario are being inundated with unprecedented high patient volumes and a staffing shortage that directly impacts patient care and flow. An area of concern among EDs is the offload zone where patients are brought in by ambulance. EMS offload time is the time it takes paramedics to transfer a patient to the appropriate area within an emergency department and give hospital staff a summary of what concerns the patient is seeking care for. There are multiple factors that may delay this time, including limited staff in the offload area to complete the transfer process due to competing patient care responsibilities. The adaptive staffing model study will look to add a primary care paramedic (PCP) or a registered nurse (RN) in the offload zone during times of high ambulance volume (August to January) to help with patient care within the offload zone. This single-centered community hospital study will evaluate the benefits of having a PCP or RN, compared to the current model, on ambulance offload times, patient safety outcomes, patient treatment times, and staff well-being using three different models of staffing.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) Block | – | Other: Staffing modelA PCP will be staffed in the emergency department offload zone 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) on a 10am - 10pm shift, in addition to the standard staffing model. |
| Registered Nurse (RN) Block | – | Other: Staffing modelAn experienced emergency department RN with triage training will be staffed in the emergency department offload zone 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in a 10am - 10pm shift, in addition to the standard staffing model |
| Current Workflow Block | – | –The currently hospitals staffing models of the emergency department offload zone. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study will use a convenience sampling method, given that patients brought in by ambulance are at random and non-predictive.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Patients brought in by ambulance to hospitals emergency department offload area
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Patients not arriving to the hospitals emergency department offload area
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing modelStaffing the hospitals emergency department offload zone with a PCP or RN or current workflow. | Other | Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) Block, Registered Nurse (RN) Block |
Primary outcome
Triage Time
Time frame: 6 months
The aim of this objective is to compare time to triage and time to transfer of care for three models of staffing.
Return to Service
Time frame: 6 months
The aim of this objective is to determine if an adaptive staffing model during peak volumes reduces ambulance offload times and return to service.
7 secondary outcomes
Time to provider assessment
Time frame: 6 months
Provider Feedback Survey
Time frame: 6 months
Time to treatment
Time frame: 6 months
Time to disposition
Time frame: 6 months
Number of incident reports
Time frame: 6 months
Case costing
Time frame: 6 months
Well-being Index (questionnaire)
Time frame: 6 months
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 22 Mar 2024.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Aggregate data and study results will be shared via publication and conference presentations.
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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.
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 Medicine and Well-Being, Psychological, run by Oak Valley Health 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Mar 2024. 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?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Andrew Arcand, MD (905-472-7373, AArcand@oakvalleyhealth.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Triage Time (time frame: 6 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 22 Mar 2024; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 28 Oct 2026.