Targeted Letters to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Attendances

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

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

25000 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-01-31

Study Completion Date

2015-11-30

Brief Summary

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The study aims to test whether it is possible to reduce pressure on Emergency Departments by sending a personal feedback letter to people who have recently attended an Emergency Department and whose health issues could likely have been dealt with elsewhere. These attendances clearly have many causes. However, it is likely that some attendances are due to behavioural factors - in other words, the various ways in which users interact with services. This study focuses on one particular behavioural factor: lack of feedback to users making avoidable visits.

The study will take place in collaboration with an NHS hospital trust. Each week during the trial, the hospital trust will identify those Emergency Department attendances in the last seven days which, according to clinical judgement, could have been dealt with elsewhere. Patients will then be randomly selected to receive a letter containing information on alternative healthcare options for non-emergency health concerns. Patient records will be analysed to determine whether the patients who received the letter are less likely to make an avoidable repeat visit to the Emergency Department in the future, compared with patients who received no letter.

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Avoidable Emergency Department Attendances

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Caregivers

Study Groups

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Letter

Patients receive a letter containing information on alternative healthcare options for non-emergency health concerns.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Letter

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients receive an information letter following an avoidable visit to the Emergency Department.

No letter

Patients receive no letter (this is the usual care).

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Letter

Patients receive an information letter following an avoidable visit to the Emergency Department.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Adults who attended a participating Emergency Department during the trial period and whose attendance was codes as 'No Investigation No Significant Treatment'