Clinical Research Directory

Length of Stay in Emergency Department: Impact of Anticipated Blood Sampling (LEIA)

The number of emergency department visits is constantly increasing France. Over the past three decades, the figure has risen from 10 million to more than 20 million visits per year. This is often attributed to a shortage of available primary care physicians and patients' inability to obtain timely appointments, whether for general practice or specialist consultations. It should also be noted that following the COVID-19 pandemic, the resurgence in emergency department attendance has further strained services. An aging population is associated with more advanced chronic conditions that are prone to decompensation, as well as more frequent acute illnesses resulting from increasing age-related frailty. In France, the healthcare system encompasses 719 emergency departments, predominantly located in public healthcare institutions. Emergency departments manage medical, psychiatric, surgical, and traumatological emergencies in both children and adults. The current context is further characterized by a reduction in the number of available downstream inpatient beds nationwide, with an average decrease of approximately 1,390 beds per year between 2014 and 2023. These various factors contribute to high emergency department utilization rates and occupancy levels. Emergency department length of stay has been shown to impact in-hospital mortality, particularly among patients aged 75 and over, and also negatively affects patient experience as well as the mental health of healthcare workers. One of the key challenges is to identify ways of reducing emergency department length of stay in order to improve patient flow and thereby decrease occupancy rates. Better control of these factors may also reduce morbidity and mortality associated with overcrowded emergency departments, as well as mean inpatient length of stay. Emergency department length of stay depends on multiple factors, including waiting time before triage and placement, time to medical advice, time to blood sampling and imaging results when ordered, and time to specialist consultation when required. Additional delays may also arise from waiting for an inpatient bed to become available. All of these steps affect length of stay but are necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis and determine the appropriate disposition for each patient. Triage, using the FRENCH scale applied to patients in this study, may itself have an impact when performed rigorously, although blood tests have been shown to outperform algorithm-based triage in predicting short-term mortality. However, when unnecessary tests are performed through systematic blood sampling, emergency department length of stay is prolonged. In the study by Strada, which evaluated anticipated blood sampling for abdominal pain, chest pain, and non-traumatic bleeding, a benefit was identified only for chest pain. Another study, conducted on a small sample, found no influence of blood testing on emergency department length of stay. A further study evaluated point-of-care testing in the emergency department, which significantly reduced the time between test ordering and result availability, but demonstrated no impact on emergency department length of stay. At the emergency department of the Centre Hospitalier de Roubaix, an increase in admissions and time to first medical contact has been observed, and several protocols have already been implemented to improve length of stay. Since November 2024, a high-flow procedure has been introduced enabling anticipated blood sampling prior to the first medical contact. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of anticipated blood sampling on emergency department length of stay. Secondary objectives include the impact of anticipated blood sampling on length of stay according to patient disposition, and its impact on time to first medical contact.

Limited Versus Extended Trophic Feeding (LET-FEED) Trial

Study Hypothesis/Question In infants born very preterm, advancing enteral feeds after 24 hours from birth (limited trophic feeds) versus after 72 hours (extended trophic feeds) reduces the risk of all-cause late onset sepsis (LOS) without increasing the risk of other adverse outcomes. Study Design Type This is a multi-center, open-label, parallel-group, individual randomized controlled trial comparing two different trophic feeding regimens in preterm infants born between 25w0d and 31w6d. These infants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving limited trophic feeding (20 to 25 mL/kg/day for one day) or the control group, receiving extended trophic feeding (20 to 25 mL/kg/day for three days) prior to advancing enteral feeds until full feeding volume (140 mL/kg/day) is achieved. Eligibility Criteria Preterm infants with gestational ages between 25 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks and a birthweight of \<1500 grams who are admitted to six participating neonatal units will be eligible for inclusion. Infants with \<5th percentile for weight at birth, vasopressor use within first 24 hours of life major congenital/genetic anomalies affecting enteral feeding, growth, or mortality, and those with a terminal illness in which decisions to withhold or limit support have been made will be excluded. Infants of parents or legal guardians who are unable to provide consent within 36 hours of birth will also be excluded. Study Intervention/Methods Written parental informed consent will be obtained prenatally or within the first 36 hours of birth. Infants will be randomized to receive limited trophic feeds of 24 to 36 hours or extended trophic feeds for 72 hours prior to the advancement of enteral feeds. Infants will be fed parent's own milk (POM) with donor human milk as the alternative if POM is unavailable. Primary Outcome Late-onset sepsis, defined as positive blood, urine, and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures in the presence of compatible clinical signs of sepsis, occurring after postnatal day 3 and before hospital discharge, and treated with antibiotics for 5 days or more. Secondary Outcome(s) The trial will assess various secondary outcomes including length of hospital stay, all-cause in-hospital mortality, duration of IV fluids and central line utilization, necrotizing enterocolitis (Bell's stage IIa or higher), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (grade III or IV either unilaterally or bilaterally), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (oxygen requirement or positive pressure ventilation at 36 weeks corrected gestational age), or retinopathy of prematurity requiring intervention. Additionally, growth metrics throughout hospitalization will be evaluated using change in weight, length, and head circumference z-scores from birth to 36 weeks' corrected gestational age between infants in the limited and extended trophic feeding groups. We will also evaluate the 2 year developmental outcomes of a subset of participants who consent to follow up. This will include the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-4th edition Language, Cognitive, and Motor domain scores at 2 years corrected age.

Automated Oxygen Administration in Patients With Hypoxemic Pneumonia and Pleuropneumonia

Hypoxemic pneumonia is a major cause of hospitalization in Pulmonology. The patient's dependency on oxygen prevents early discharge from the hospital. An automated oxygen therapy is a system that allows administration of oxygen with a flow that is automatically adjusted to the patient's saturation, which is continuously monitored. This system has proven to be particularly effective with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, by decreasing the time spent in hypoxia and hyperoxia, and by accelerating the weaning of oxygen. Our hypothesis is that automated oxygen therapy leads to a diminution on the length of hospital stay.

Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage to Improve ED Flow.

This study aims to evaluate a pre-post intervention adding an early management decision at the end of the triage process to improve patient throughput. The intervention consists of adding digital checkboxes to the electronic triage system, providing nurses with formalized options for anticipated management based on patient acuity. The study compares a pre-intervention phase (May 1st to July 31st, 2026) with a post-intervention phase (May 1st to July 31st, 2027) to naturalize seasonal confounders. The primary outcome is the total Emergency Department Length of Stay (ED LOS).

NICU Utilization of Remote Voice Technology to Improve mateRnal Experience (NURTURE)

The study's objective is to conduct a Phase II randomized controlled trial examining the preliminary efficacy of the VoiceLove app compared to usual care on maternal postpartum depression in mothers with infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Primary aim: Assess the effects of VoiceLove on maternal postpartum depression, measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The estimates from this study will be used for a future definitive Phase III trial. Secondary aim: Assess feasibility, acceptability, and patterns of communication and engagement among mothers, partners, and NICU clinicians during the NICU hospitalization, measured through app usage metrics, satisfaction surveys, and qualitative interviews. Additionally, we will evaluate effects of infant length of stay.

Effect of Clinical Hypnosis in Preoperative Anxiety Among Patients Undergoing an Abdominal Surgery.

This Multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluates clinical hypnosis efficacy for reducing perioperative anxiety and postoperative pain in abdominal surgery patients across 3 Moroccan centers (n=48-68). Intervention arm receives 15-20 min level 2 hypnosis session preoperatively; control receives standard psychological preparation. Primary outcome: VAS-anxiety post-intervention. Secondary: postoperative EVA-pain, analgesic consumption, length of stay. Study Design Prospective, multicenter, parallel-group RCT (1:1 allocation, stratified by center/sex). Inclusion: consenting ASA I-II adults for abdominal surgery. Primary endpoint powered for 10mm EVA reduction (80% power, α=0.05). Registration supports PhD thesis at ISSS/Université Hassan 1er Settat.

Preoperative Oral Hydration in the Ambulatory Arthroplasty Population

The purpose of this study is to investigate if the consumption of a complex carbohydrate drink preoperatively, decreases the length of stay and causes for failure to launch in patients undergoing ambulatory total joint arthroplasty.

Duke Virtual IntEgrated Workflow

This quality improvement initiative aims to evaluate the implementation, utilization, and impact of virtual care technologies and workflows being implemented at Duke University Health System (DUHS). This project is embedded within operational workflows and is designed to inform strategic decision-making and resource allocation. The evaluation will focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to hospital operations and patient outcomes, including but not limited to: Length of Stay, Readmission Rates, Patient Satisfaction Scores, and Other Quality and Safety Metrics. These KPIs will be evaluated across three clinical units at Duke University Hospital, in which virtual care technologies are being implemented. These will be compared to three control units of similar characteristics. Differences in KPIs will be examined across all units over 12 months.

SurgeCon: An Emergency Department Surge Management Platform

Wait times and overcrowding are challenging emergency departments (EDs) around the world. Several countries with advanced healthcare systems cannot keep pace with patient demand, and Canada ranks among the longest wait times compared to peer-industrialized countries. In fact, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) identified an 11% increase in ED wait times from 2015-2016 to 2016-2017. This translates to long wait times that deter patients from pursuing necessary care and increases their likelihood of leaving without being seen by an ED physician. In Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), this issue has precipitated strikingly serious situations regarding long wait times that have made the province a case-in-point for ED issues. To counter this, the investigators propose an innovative quality-improvement intervention called SurgeCon that includes a protocol-driven software platform and several other initiatives to reduce wait times and improve the sustainability of health systems without significant workforce changes. The investigators piloted SurgeCon at the ED in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and found there was a 32% reduction in ED wait time.

Associations Between Time to Reduction and Complications in Patients With Dislocated Total Hip Arthroplasty

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of time to closed reduction on both patient related and organizational factors. These include, length of stay, hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit, rehospitalizations, delirium, all-cause mortality, infection requiring hospital contact, and cardiovascular complications. It is also intended to investigate whether different anaesthetic strategies and airway management are associated with different complication rates. It is hypothesized that longer waiting time until reduction increase the postoperative length of stay, readmissions, and risk of complications.

Alberta Collaborative QI Strategies to Improve Outcomes of Moderate and Late Preterm Infants (ABC-QI Trial)

The ABC-QI Trial aims to implement collaborative quality improvement (QI) strategies to standardize care for 32-36 week infants in Level 2 and 3 Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the province of Alberta. The investigators want to know if using validated quality improvement methods and evidence-based care bundles will decrease the duration of hospital stay and get babies home as quickly as possible.

Nutritional Status and Patient Characteristics Upon Length of Stay, Clinical Outcome, and Survival in Older Hospitalized Patients

Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) describes undernutrition or imbalances in energy, protein, or other nutrient-needs, caused by a concomitant disease. Nutritional status plays a vital role in the fate of hospitalized patients, and DRM is associated with loss of function and decreased survival. DRM is a common condition in patients with acute illnesses, approximately 30% among medical inpatients are malnourished when admitteed to the hospital, and rise higher among the older or critically ill. Physiologically malnutrition is associated with a) poorer tissue healing and restitution after severe disease, b) suppressed immune function and resistance towards infections, c) poorer metabolic defense towards critical disease, d) delayed and poorer progress of chronic diseases. In addition, inadequate nutrition is coupled to a prolonged hospital stay, resulting in more readmissions, and overall higher mortality in hospital patients. Yet, nutritional status of patients upon hospital admittance is seldom systematically assessed and the consequences of DRM in older acutely admitted patients still needs to be understood. This project will provide a detailed description of nutritional, physiolgical, and biochemical status of 1500 acutely admitted patients. In relation, the study will investigate the relation between patient characteristics and disease progression. The obtained data will also be coupled to patient registers to investigate the link between length of hospital stay, readmissions and acute contact, and mortality.

Intravenous Acetaminophen to Reduce Post-operative Opioid Consumption

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a commonly used medication after surgery to control pain. Tablets for oral use and suppositories for rectal use are the most frequently employed forms of acetaminophen after surgery. Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen is widely used in several countries but is not a standard medication for the adult population in Canada. It is mainly considered when it is impossible to take medication in tablet or suppository form. Opioids (Morphine, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, etc.) are another class of medications commonly used after surgery for pain management. While they are generally very effective and stronger than acetaminophen or other pain relievers (e.g., ibuprofen/Advil), reducing their use is preferable, as they can cause various side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and dependence. IV acetaminophen may help control pain while also reducing opioid consumption. However, there are few high-quality scientific studies proving the benefits of IV acetaminophen compared to other forms, such as tablets or suppositories. Acetaminophen has been available in Canada for many years and has already been recommended for use in Quebec by the Institut national d'excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) under certain conditions. This study aims to validate its benefits with clear data.