Safer outpatient care options for low-risk pulmonary embolism after an ER visit
Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative AltERnaTives to admission for Pulmonary Embolism (MEDIC ALERT PE) Study
A program that helps emergency doctors safely treat people with low-risk pulmonary embolism at home with anticoagulant medicines and arranged follow-up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11257997 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of a program rolled out across many emergency departments in Michigan that aims to make it easier for doctors to send low-risk pulmonary embolism patients home instead of admitting them. The team will tailor a multi-part package of supports — such as decision tools for clinicians, reliable access to anticoagulant medicines, and scheduled outpatient follow-up — using input from local hospitals. They will implement this package through the Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative and track how often patients are treated as outpatients and how they do afterward. The project focuses on real-world emergency care and on making the approach work for diverse hospitals and patients across the state.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who come to a participating emergency department with an acute pulmonary embolism that clinicians judge to be low risk and who can take anticoagulant medicines and attend outpatient follow-up are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients who are clinically unstable, judged high-risk for complications, or who cannot reliably access anticoagulant medication or follow-up care are unlikely to benefit from outpatient management.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce unnecessary hospital stays, get patients home sooner with safe treatment, and improve access to timely follow-up care.
How similar studies have performed: Previous single-center and smaller studies have shown that outpatient treatment for selected low-risk PE patients can be safe, but broad multi-site implementation has not been widely tested.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barnes, Geoffrey Douglas — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Barnes, Geoffrey Douglas
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.