Using symptoms and vital signs to improve triage for emergency patients
Official title: Triage - Symptoms and Other Predictors in an All-comer Emergency Department Population (EMERGE V-VII)
Run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland · NCT05400707 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try a tool that combines vital signs, symptoms, mobility, and consciousness to predict 30-day risk for adult emergency department patients.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 6467 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Basel) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 17, 2022 |
| Main results expected | May 27, 2026 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | January 26, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT05400707 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults presenting to the University Hospital Basel ED during the study weeks who can communicate with staff and are not obstetric, ophthalmologic, or pediatric patients are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
Obstetric, ophthalmologic, pediatric patients and people who are unable or unwilling to communicate with study personnel will not be included and therefore will not directly benefit from the results.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This single-center, prospective observational study at the University Hospital Basel enrolls consecutive adult patients who present to the ED during predefined 9-week periods in 2022, 2024, and 2026 and undergo routine triage with additional data collection. For each patient researchers record vital signs (respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature), pain score, AVPUC level of consciousness, self-reported mobility, and presenting symptoms. The study externally validates the International Early Warning Score (IEWS) and examines how these predictors relate to hospitalization, ICU admission, morbidity, 30-day mortality, and to diagnostic and disposition decisions. Obstetric, ophthalmologic, and pediatric patients and those unable or unwilling to communicate are excluded.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could reduce undertriage and overtriage and help clinicians allocate resources more effectively, potentially lowering preventable morbidity and mortality.
How similar studies have gone: Early warning scores like the IEWS have shown mixed but promising results in prior studies, yet no universal gold standard exists and external validations remain necessary.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients presenting to the ED of the University Hospital Basel over a timecourse of 9 weeks in 2022, 2024, 2026 Exclusion Criteria: * Obstetric, ophthalmologic, and paediatric patients will not be included * unwillingness to participate * insufficient ability to communicate with the study personnel.
Where it's running
-
Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Basel
Basel, Switzerland Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Roland Bingisser, Prof. Dr. med. — University Hospital Basel, Department of Emergency Medicine
- Study coordinator: Roland Bingisser, Prof. Dr. med.
- Email: roland.bingisser@usb.ch
- Phone: +41 61 265 58 30
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.