Length of StayNCT07726108
Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage to Improve ED Flow.
An observational study of Length of Stay and Emergency Department Crowding, run by Hôpital Fribourgeois at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
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… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Length of Stay, Emergency Department Crowding, Emergency Department Patient
- What is being tested?
- Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- How many people
- 15,500 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 1 May 2026to 31 Aug 2027
- How long will I take part?
- 30 Days
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study population comprises all adult patients (over 18 years old) presenting to the emergency department of the cantonal hospital in Fribourg (HFR), Switzerland, during the predefined study periods (Phase 1 and Phase 2). The HFR is a university teaching and research hospital that manages approximately 41,000 ED visits annually.
Who may be able to join
- All patients over 18 years who registered at the admission desk during the study period.
Who cannot join
- Arrival by emergency medical services (ambulance or helicopter)
- Patient trajectory bypassing the standard nurse-led triage process
- Patient directly referred to another service of the hospital after triage (gynecology, ophthalmology, etc.).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Switzerland1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Fribourg Cantonal Hospital
Villars-sur-Glâne, Canton of Fribourg, 1752
Thomas Castelain, +41263061392, thomas.castelain@h-fr.ch
Youcef Guechi, youcef.guechi@h-fr.ch
About this study
Official title: Implementing Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage to Improve Emergency Department Flow: A Before-After Study Protocol
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).
- Conditions
- Length of Stay, Emergency Department Crowding, Emergency Department Patient, Emergency Department Triage, Nurses, Workflow
- Being tested
- Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Digital Anticipatory Protocols at TriageProcedure or surgery
The intervention consists of adding digital checkboxes to the electronic triage system. This provides nurses with formalized options for anticipated management based on patient acuity, aiming to encourage and document anticipatory actions while stimulating clinical reasoning.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 - Pre-intervention | Patients presenting to the emergency department between May 1st and July 31st, 2026. Patients undergo standard triage assessment performed using the revised Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS). Disposition decisions are monitored using a digital tag in the electronic health records. | |
| Phase 2 - Post-intervention | Patients presenting to the emergency department between May 1st and July 31st, 2027. Patients undergo triage with the addition of a new digital anticipatory protocol. Disposition decisions continue to be monitored using the same digital tag. Receives: Procedure: Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Total Emergency Department Length of Stay (ED LOS).
The time interval from the completion of the patient's administrative registration to their physical departure from the ED
Measured: Through completion of the ED visit, up to a maximum of 72 hours.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Left without being seen (LWBS)
Proportion of patients who registered at the ED admission desk and left before receiving a medical screening exam or an evaluation by a physician
Measured: Through completion of the ED visit, up to a maximum of 72 hours.
30-day mortality
Assessed through institutional medical records to evaluate safety
Measured: Up to 30 days post-ED visit
Intesive Care Unit (ICU) transfers
Proportion of patients transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) immediately and within 7 days after the ED visit
Measured: Up to 7 days post-ED visit
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Jul 2026
- Study start1 May 2026
- Primary completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Length of StayStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 15,500 participants (estimated)
- Target duration
- 30 Days
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hôpital Fribourgeois
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Fribourg
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Youcef Guechi, MD, Principal investigator, Hopital Cantonal Fribourgeois (HFR)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07726108
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Req-2026-00230
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 14 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 24 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: Data sharing is restricted by the Swiss Human Research Act and local ethics committee (Swissethics) due to the retrospective/observational nature of this quality improvement project and the lack of explicit patient consent for public open-data sharing.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Implementing Digital Anticipatory Protocols at Triage to Improve Emergency Department Flow: A Before-After Study Protocol
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07726108
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Req-2026-00230
- Conditions
- Length of Stay, Emergency Department Crowding, Emergency Department Patient, Emergency Department Triage, Nurses, Workflow
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 15,500 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Hôpital FribourgeoisUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Fribourg
- Study start
- 1 May 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 24 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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).
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Target follow-up
- 30 Days
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 - Pre-intervention | – | –Patients presenting to the emergency department between May 1st and July 31st, 2026. Patients undergo standard triage assessment performed using the revised Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS). Disposition decisions are monitored using a digital tag in the electronic health records. |
| Phase 2 - Post-intervention | – | Procedure: Digital Anticipatory Protocols at TriagePatients presenting to the emergency department between May 1st and July 31st, 2027. Patients undergo triage with the addition of a new digital anticipatory protocol. Disposition decisions continue to be monitored using the same digital tag. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population comprises all adult patients (over 18 years old) presenting to the emergency department of the cantonal hospital in Fribourg (HFR), Switzerland, during the predefined study periods (Phase 1 and Phase 2). The HFR is a university teaching and research hospital that manages approximately 41,000 ED visits annually.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- All patients over 18 years who registered at the admission desk during the study period.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Arrival by emergency medical services (ambulance or helicopter)
- Patient trajectory bypassing the standard nurse-led triage process
- Patient directly referred to another service of the hospital after triage (gynecology, ophthalmology, etc.).
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Anticipatory Protocols at TriageThe intervention consists of adding digital checkboxes to the electronic triage system. This provides nurses with formalized options for anticipated management based on patient acuity, aiming to encourage and document anticipatory actions while stimulating clinical reasoning. | Procedure or surgery | Phase 2 - Post-intervention |
Primary outcome
Total Emergency Department Length of Stay (ED LOS).
Time frame: Through completion of the ED visit, up to a maximum of 72 hours.
The time interval from the completion of the patient's administrative registration to their physical departure from the ED
3 secondary outcomes
Left without being seen (LWBS)
Time frame: Through completion of the ED visit, up to a maximum of 72 hours.
30-day mortality
Time frame: Up to 30 days post-ED visit
Intesive Care Unit (ICU) transfers
Time frame: Up to 7 days post-ED visit
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. Data sharing is restricted by the Swiss Human Research Act and local ethics committee (Swissethics) due to the retrospective/observational nature of this quality improvement project and the lack of explicit patient consent for public open-data sharing.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Youcef Guechi, MD principal investigator
Hopital Cantonal Fribourgeois (HFR)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Length of Stay and Emergency Department Crowding, run by Hôpital Fribourgeois at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Thomas Castelain (+41263061392, thomas.castelain@h-fr.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Total Emergency Department Length of Stay (ED LOS). (time frame: Through completion of the ED visit, up to a maximum of 72 hours.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jul 2026.