Effect and Safety of a Pediatric Triage Track on Hospital Visits and at the Public Medical Helpline 1813, Capital Region, Denmark

NCT06722040 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: EMSCRDenmark
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 244,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Children under three years old often fall ill. While most illnesses are mild, they often lead to worry which contributes to a high number of contacts with general practitioners and acute medical services such as the Medical Helpline 1813 (MH1813). The MH1813 is a free urgent medical helpline staffed by healthcare professionals and intended for acute medical conditions that cannot wait until the general practitioner is available the following day. About 25% of the calls to MH1813 regards a child under the age of 10 years. To improve triage, MH1813 implemented video triage and educational video tutorials for parents. In July 2022, a pediatric triage track was established to route calls concerning children to specialists in pediatrics, ensuring better expertise. The hypothesis is that this new pediatric triage track have reduced hospital referrals safely, without increasing ambulance dispatches or severe incidents.

Conditions

Emergency Medical Services; Telemedicine; Children; Triage; Hospital Admission

Keywords

Pediatric Triage track; MH1813; Medical Helpline 1813; EMS

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Referral to hospital after the primary call to Medical Helpline 1813 (MH1813)

  72 hours from the primary call to MH1813

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Duration of the primary call

  During the primary call to MH1813

• Children referred to hospitals within 72 hours after the primary call

  72 hours from the primary call to MH1813

• Children who received video triage during the primary call

  During the primary call to MH1813

• "Tips from Pediatricians" sent to parents during the primary call

  During the primary call to MH1813

• Repeated calls for telephone triage within 72 hours from the primary call

  72 hours from the primary call to MH1813

Other Outcomes (1)

• Severe adverse outcomes:

  72 hours from the primary call to MH1813

Study Arms (2)

Before pediatric triage track

The dyads of children and their caregivers calling the Medical Helpline 1813 before the implementation of the pediatric triage unit (January 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022)

After pediatric Triage track

The dyads of children and their caregivers calling the Medical Helpline 1813 after the implementation of the pediatric triage unit (January 1, 2023-June 30, 2023)

Other: Implementation of a pediatric triage track

Interventions

Implementation of a pediatric triage track OTHER

In 2023, a pediatric triage track was implemented at MH1813 to route calls concerning children to specialists in pediatrics, ensuring better expertise.

After pediatric Triage track

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 0 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Children in the Capital Region younger than 12 years

You may qualify if:

• Calls regarding children aged up to 11.9 years

You may not qualify if:

• Calls regarding children or adults older than 12 years

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Emergency Medical Services, Capital Region, Denmark: lead

Study Sites (1)

Emergency Medical Services Capital Region, Denmark

Ballerup Municipality, 2750, Denmark

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 3 Days
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 3, 2024
• First Posted: December 9, 2024
• Study Start: November 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2023
• Study Completion: August 31, 2023
• Last Updated: December 9, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Locations

DK (1)