RightCall: a pediatric sepsis diagnostic toolkit for ED transfer calls
The Right Call: Implementing a Sepsis Diagnostic Safety Toolkit in a Pediatric Transfer Call Center to Improve Diagnosis of Children in General Emergency Settings
This project will try a toolkit at Children's Hospital Colorado to help clinicians spot sepsis earlier in children who are transferred from general emergency departments.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 500 (estimated) |
| Ages | 1 Month and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Colorado, Denver Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Aurora, Colorado) |
| Trial ID | NCT07051668 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This is a prospective type 2 hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial that implements a pediatric sepsis diagnostic safety toolkit in a pediatric hospital transfer call center. The team will use mixed quantitative and qualitative methods, guided by PRISM and RE-AIM frameworks, to track accuracy, adoption, adaptations, sustainability, and contextual factors. Effectiveness will be measured with a pre/post design using 24-month baseline and 24-month post-implementation periods that capture the same sepsis seasonality. Eligible cases are children transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado who meet Phoenix sepsis criteria, with exclusions for age under one month or missing transfer call recordings.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children one month of age or older who are transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado and meet Phoenix sepsis criteria in the referring ED, during transport, or within 24 hours of arrival.
Not a fit: Patients under one month of age, those without an available transfer call recording, or children not transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the toolkit could help clinicians identify sepsis sooner in transferred children, enabling faster treatment and potentially better outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Previous sepsis recognition and implementation efforts have improved timely diagnosis and treatment in some settings, but applying a diagnostic toolkit specifically within transfer call workflows is relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) for emergency or inpatient care, as identified in the extant CHCO transfer center database AND in the extant CHCO quality improvement sepsis database AND one of the following: * Patients who met Phoenix sepsis criteria 1) in the referring ED, 2) during transport, 3) in the first 6 hours after arrival at the pediatric hospital, or 4) patients who developed Phoenix sepsis within 24 hours of arrival at the Children's Hospital underwent independent physician review by three emergency physicians. Patients in whom all three physicians agreed sepsis was most likely present, using the structured SaferDx tool were included Exclusion Criteria: * Patients less than one month of age * Patients whose transfer call recording was not available in the database
Where this trial is running
Aurora, Colorado
- Children's Hospital Colorado — Aurora, Colorado, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Halden F. Scott, MD, MSCS — University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Halden F. Scott, MD, MSCS
- Email: halden.scott@cuanschutz.edu
- Phone: 215-520-7217
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.