Prehospital point-of-care testing to help decide about hospital transport

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

In this cluster-randomized study in the Central Denmark Region, ambulance clusters will either use rapid point-of-care blood testing or continue standard care to guide decisions about hospital conveyance after an emergency call. Adult patients evaluated by ambulance crews who are initially considered for transport will be included, with EMDC physicians guiding eligibility for POCT. The study uses matching by historical non-conveyance rates and other factors before randomization, aiming to see if POCT can reduce unnecessary hospital transports without compromising safety. Outcomes will inform whether POCT integration can streamline prehospital decision-making and reduce ED crowding.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults aged ≥18 years
* Emergency call or general practitioner-commissioned ambulance dispatch following telephone triage only, including video streaming triage, resulting in ambulance dispatch
* Initial on-scene assessments performed by the ambulance crew
* Patients initially considered for hospital conveyance based on clinical assessment
* Following telemedical consultation with an Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre (EMDC) physician, deemed eligible for point-of-care blood testing (POCT)
* Hemodynamically and clinically stable according to predefined operational stability criteria (including Glasgow Coma Scale, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and heart rate), with final eligibility determined by the EMDC physician based on overall clinical assessment and the patient's baseline status

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-emergency calls (e.g., interfacility transport or scheduled patient transport)
* General practitioner-commissioned ambulance dispatches where the patient has been physically assessed by a general practitioner or another physician before ambulance arrival
* Immediate need for emergency transport to hospital as determined by clinical assessment
* Persistent unstable vital signs outside predefined operational thresholds, except for known chronic baseline deviations (e.g., reduced oxygen saturation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic tachyarrhythmia in atrial fibrillation)
* Inability to obtain venous or capillary blood samples
* Prior participation in the study within 30 days (to ensure complete outcome follow-up)

Where it's running

• Prehospital Emergency Medical Services, Central Denmark Region, Denmark
  Aarhus N, Denmark Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Martin F Gude, MD, PhD — Prehospital Emergency Medical Services, Central Denmark Region. Denmark
• Study coordinator: Martin F Gude, MD, PhD
• Email: martgude@rm.dk
• Phone: 004525343621

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.