Clinical trial NCT03401411: ICU Triage Practices in a Cancer Hospital
Official title: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Triage Practices in a Cancer Hospital
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Intensive Care Units
Triage
Keywords: ICU
ICU Triage Practices
Cancer Patients
Oncology ICU
Lead sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-01-17
Enrollment: 257
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The primary objective of this study is aimed at analyzing the ICU triage practices of clinicians at a cancer hospital with and without the use of an algorithm-based triage tool, and to assess whether or not the triage tool improves the consensus amongst practioners on the prioritization of patients for ICU admission. Secondary objectives include assessment of whether or not triage practices based on guidelines correlate with what is done in actual practice.

Detailed description: This is a prospective study designed to evaluate the ICU triage practices of clinicians at MD Anderson Cancer Center using the standard Society of Critical Care Medicine Prioritization Model (SCCMP) versus a uniquely designed flowchart-based triage tool created specifically for the oncologic setting.

Study participants will initially receive either an email explaining the study and asking if they would agree to participate in the survey, or a hard copy of an identical letter. Their participation will remain anonymous, and will strictly be on a volunteer basis. If the participant wishes to participate, they will be given either a link to the survey using an institutionally improved electronic survey tool, or alternatively a hard copy of the survey with identical instructions.

The survey consists of 15 fictional patient case scenarios, and participants will be asked to use the modified SCCMP to prioritize each patient scenario into one of the 5-point likert-scale categories for admission. The participants will be randomized with 1:1 ratio to use either a) the standard SCCMP or b) the SCCMP in addition to a newly designed flowchart-based triage guide to prioritize each patient case scenario into one of the 5-point likert-scale categories.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1) Study participant must be a health care provider who frequently refers or accepts oncologic patients to the ICU

Exclusion Criteria:

1) none

Primary outcomes:
measure: Agreement among clinicians for each of triage tools: SCCMP Standard versus SCCMP + Algorithm-based Triage Tool
timeFrame: 20 minutes for participant survey completion
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: Latino-American Critical Care Trial Network (LACTIN)
state: Texas
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
state: Texas
city: Manta
country: Ecuador
facility: 5th International Oncology Course Conference
state: Manabí Province
Study officials:
affiliation: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
name: Nisha Rathi, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: