Evaluation of Emergency Triage Using a Computerized Simulator

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2006-05-31

Study Completion Date

2007-05-31

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Emergencies

Keywords

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triage

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Interventions

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Visual clues

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Triage nurses
* Emergency physicians

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Responsible Party

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HUG, Geneva

Principal Investigators

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Olivier T Rutschmann, MD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital, Geneva

Locations

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Geneva University Hospitals

Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland

Site Status

Countries

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Switzerland

Other Identifiers

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CER 05-213

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id