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Using Informatics to Enhance Care of Older Emergency Department Patients

NCT00297869 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 1350

Last updated 2016-10-05

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The subjects in this study are physicians working in the Wishard Emergency Department. The purpose of this study is to measure the extent to which information technology (i.e.-computers) improves emergency department care. The objective of our study is to evaluate the use of informatics in the emergency department and specifically to determine if computer reminder systems: 1) reduce the number of unsafe medications prescribed to older adults, 2) assist in more safely dosing of medications to adults of all ages, and 3) increase influenza immunization of eligible older patients in the emergency department.

Interventions: The interventions in this study are computer reminders. When releasing patients from the emergency department, physicians currently write all release orders, including prescriptions, on a computer order entry system that is linked to the Regenstrief Medical Record System. The computerized order entry system will be programmed so that physicians randomized (randomly placed) into the intervention group, the group that will receive the intervention, they will receive one of three types of reminders:

1. The medication prescribed is generally considered unsafe for use in older patients. The reminder will then list appropriate alternatives for this medication.
2. The dose of the prescribed medication is excessive and should be adjusted for the patient's creatinine clearance (or kidney function).
3. This patient may be eligible for influenza vaccination.

The physician will then choose to order or disregard the recommendation. The computer system will automatically record what the physician selected to do. The general outcome of interest is the extent to which the electronic reminders successfully improved physician practice in the emergency department setting. This outcome will be compared to physicians who were randomized to the group that did not receive the reminders (the control group).

Conditions

  • Elderly; Renal Insufficiency

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Computer-Assisted Decision Support

Electronic warnings when providers prescribe a potentially inappropriate medication or an excessively dosed medication (based on estimated creatinine clearance)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Indiana University School of Medicine

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Kevin M. Terrell, DO, MS · Indiana University School of Medicine

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2005-01-31
Primary Completion
2010-06-30
Completion
2010-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00297869 on ClinicalTrials.gov