NCT00321243

Brief Summary

A four-level triage scale (the Geneva Emergency Triage Scale, GETS) has been used since 1997 in our emergency department (ED). A recent evaluation of this scale showed that our instrument had an excellent intra-rater reliability but insufficient inter-rater reliability. We also observed a wide variability in the way triage nurses perform (J Clin Epidemiology, 2006 in press). These variations in the triage process are mainly explained by a poor standardization of vital signs measurement. Therefore, we have recently modified our triage instrument and introduced explicit criteria for vital signs evaluation during the triage process. The objectives of this study are:

  • To evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of our modified triage scale using a computer simulator
  • To measure the impact of visual clues on the triage decisions when using the triage simulator
  • To evaluate the performance of triage nurses and chief physicians in their triage decisions. We expect to observe:
  • an improvement of the inter-rater reliability of our instrument compared to the previous version
  • a better standardization and more systematic use of vital signs measurement
  • a higher reliability when visual clues are given to the evaluator
  • lower rates of under- and over-estimation of emergency levels.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
150

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2006

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 6, 2006

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2006

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 3, 2006

Completed
12 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

May 1, 2007

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

May 1, 2007

Completed
Last Updated

June 4, 2008

Status Verified

June 1, 2008

Enrollment Period

1 year

First QC Date

February 6, 2006

Last Update Submit

June 3, 2008

Conditions

Emergencies

Keywords

triage

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability

  • Performance of evaluators

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Impact of visual clues on reliability

Interventions

Visual cluesBEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 65 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Triage nurses
  • Emergency physicians

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Geneva University Hospitals

Geneva, Canton of Geneva, 1211, Switzerland

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emergencies

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease AttributesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

  • Olivier T Rutschmann, MD, MPH

    University Hospital, Geneva

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 6, 2006

First Posted

May 3, 2006

Study Start

May 1, 2006

Primary Completion

May 1, 2007

Study Completion

May 1, 2007

Last Updated

June 4, 2008

Record last verified: 2008-06

Locations

CH(1)