NCT00670865

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a semi-automated electronic patient discharge summary program leads to increased community physician and housestaff satisfaction and patient outcomes as compared to conventional discharge reports.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
209

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2008

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

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

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 7, 2008

Completed
24 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2008

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 2, 2008

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2008

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2008

Completed
Last Updated

April 16, 2010

Status Verified

April 1, 2010

Enrollment Period

1 month

First QC Date

April 7, 2008

Last Update Submit

April 15, 2010

Conditions

Patient DischargeContinuity of Patient CareMedical Records Systems, ComputerizedHospital Information Systems

Keywords

HospitalizationContinuity of careDischarge summaryQuality improvementMedical records systemsHospital information systems

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Primary care physician satisfaction from satisfaction score assessment form with 100-mm visual analogue scale

    Satisfaction score assessment form to be sent one week after patient's discharge from hospital. If form is not returned in 14 days, a reminder and second form will be sent.

Secondary Outcomes (6)

  • St. Michael's Hospital housestaff satisfaction from satisfaction score assessment form with 100-mm visual analogue scale

    Housestaff will fill out form upon completion of the rotation during which the study has been performed

  • Completion of specialist outpatient workups at St. Michael's Hospital recommended during course of hospitalization

    Within the first 30 days of patient's discharge from hospital

  • Patient visits to Emergency Room at St. Michael's Hospital

    Within the first 30 days after patient's discharge from hospital

  • Patient/proxy care transition assessment through the use of the CTM-3.

    Phone call made to patient or proxy one week after discharge. If patient/proxy is not reached, follow up calls will be made daily until patient/proxy is reached.

  • Prescribing errors as assessed by comparing discharge summary to inpatient record

    Upon discharge

  • +1 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

eDischarge

EXPERIMENTAL

The eDischarge arm will consist of two teams on the General Internal Medicine ward at St. Michael's Hospital who have been randomly assigned to use the electronic discharge summary program.

Other: Electronic discharge summary system

Traditional

NO INTERVENTION

The traditional arm will consist of two teams on the General Internal Medicine ward at St. Michael's Hospital who have been randomly assigned to use "traditional," dictated discharge summaries.

Interventions

Electronic discharge summary systemOTHER

The customized electronic discharge summary program will be used to generate patient discharge summaries.

eDischarge

Eligibility Criteria

Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Hospitalization on General Internal Medicine ward at St. Michael's Hospital

You may not qualify if:

  • Transfer to another service
  • Death during admission
  • Remains in hospital past dates specified in study protocol

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

St. Michael's Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada

Location

Related Publications (4)

  • van Walraven C, Laupacis A, Seth R, Wells G. Dictated versus database-generated discharge summaries: a randomized clinical trial. CMAJ. 1999 Feb 9;160(3):319-26.

    PMID: 10065073BACKGROUND

  • van Walraven C, Seth R, Austin PC, Laupacis A. Effect of discharge summary availability during post-discharge visits on hospital readmission. J Gen Intern Med. 2002 Mar;17(3):186-92. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.10741.x.

    PMID: 11929504BACKGROUND

  • Kripalani S, LeFevre F, Phillips CO, Williams MV, Basaviah P, Baker DW. Deficits in communication and information transfer between hospital-based and primary care physicians: implications for patient safety and continuity of care. JAMA. 2007 Feb 28;297(8):831-41. doi: 10.1001/jama.297.8.831.

    PMID: 17327525BACKGROUND

  • Maslove DM, Leiter RE, Griesman J, Arnott C, Mourad O, Chow CM, Bell CM. Electronic versus dictated hospital discharge summaries: a randomized controlled trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Sep;24(9):995-1001. doi: 10.1007/s11606-009-1053-2. Epub 2009 Jul 16.

    PMID: 19609623RESULT

Study Officials

  • David M Maslove, MD

    Unity Health Toronto

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

  • Chaim M Bell, MD, PhD, FRCPC

    St. Michael's Hospital; University of Toronto

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 7, 2008

First Posted

May 2, 2008

Study Start

May 1, 2008

Primary Completion

June 1, 2008

Study Completion

July 1, 2008

Last Updated

April 16, 2010

Record last verified: 2010-04

Locations

CA(1)