Triage Liaison Physician - Evaluation of a Novel Approach to Address Emergency Department Overcrowding

University of Alberta

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Acute Illness

Treatments: Behavioral: Triage Liaison Physician

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00435890

B-091105

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 5,718 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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5,718 participants in 1 patient group

1

No Intervention group

Description:

No triage liaison physician

Treatment:

Behavioral: Triage Liaison Physician