Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25932701›Full record

Trial reportNursing research

Electronic alerts for triage protocol compliance among emergency department triage nurses: a randomized controlled trial.

James F Holmes, Joshua Freilich, Sandra L Taylor, David Buettner

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nursing research. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

James F HolmesJames F. Holmes, MD, MPH, is Professor; and Joshua Freilich, RN, MSN, MHA, is Assistant Nurse Manager, Department of Emergency Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California. Sandra L. Taylor, PhD, is Senior Statistician, Clinical Translational Science Center, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California. David Buettner, RN, MS, is Emergency Department Clinical Resource Nurse and Clinical Information System Analyst, Department of Emergency Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California.
Joshua Freilich
Sandra L Taylor
David Buettner

Funding

UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science CenterUL1TR000002 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI BERGLUND, LARS F · 2012 to 2015
$12.2M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlerts embedded in electronic health records (EHRs) are designed to improve processes at the point of care.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to determine if an EHR alert-at emergency department (ED) triage-increases the ED triage nurse's utilization of triage protocols.

methodsED triage nurses were randomized to receive either a passive EHR alert or no intervention for patients with the following complaints: minor trauma with extremity injuries or female patients with abdominal pain. The EHR alert notified the nurse that the patient was eligible for diagnostic testing: radiographs for patients with injured extremities or urinalysis for female patients with abdominal pain.

resultsTwenty-eight nurses triaged 20,410 patients in the 6 months before the intervention and 19,157 in the 6 months after the intervention. Before the intervention, the urinalysis protocol was implemented in 101/624 (16.2%) patients triaged by the intervention group and 116/711 (16.3%) triaged by the control group. After the intervention, the urinalysis protocol was implemented in 146/530 (27.6%) patients triaged by the intervention group and 174/679 (25.6%) triaged by the control group. Before the intervention, the radiograph protocol was implemented in 58/774 (7.5%) patients triaged by the intervention group and 45/684 (6.6%) triaged by the control group. After the intervention, the radiograph protocol was implemented in 78/614 (12.7%) patients triaged by the intervention group and 79/609 (13.0%) triaged by the control group.

conclusionThe use of a passive EHR alert to promote ED triage protocols showed little benefit. Before the widespread implementation of EHR alerts for patient care, rigorous studies are required to determine the best alert methods and the impacts of such interventions.

Indexed as

Electronic Health RecordsEmergency NursingEmergency Service, HospitalGuideline AdherenceReminder SystemsTriageAbdominal PainArm InjuriesClinical ProtocolsDiagnostic Tests, RoutineFemaleHumansLeg InjuriesRadiographyUrinalysis

Identifiers

PMID25932701
PMCPMC4418031

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.