Italian hospital conducts a clinical trial of Risk Stratification of COVID-19 Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department
Photo by Daan Stevens
City of Health and Science Hospital of Turin (Azienda Ospedaliera Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torin)o is recruiting patients for the clinical trial of Risk Stratification of COVID-19 Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department (CODED).
Risk stratification of COVID-19 patients is essential to define their appropriate treatment setting. So far, available studies have focused on morbidity and mortality prediction in patients admitted to hospital. In the Emergency Department (ED), decision on home discharge versus hospital admission for COVID-19 is cumbersome. While facing a dramatic second wave of SARS-CoV-2, shortage of hospital beds has further increased the challenge.
The present study will prospectively evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients discharged from the ED. Stratification will be based on a composite of demographic, clinical and lung imaging variables. Results will be used to develop standardized decision rules for safe home discharge of patients with COVID-19 evaluated in the ED.
Patients with inclusion criteria and without exclusion criteria, evaluated in the participating EDs, will be enrolled in the study. Patients will undergo standard medical evaluation by the attending physician(s), following local guidelines and best medical practice, independent of participation to the study.
Upon discharge, patients will be encouraged to contact emergency medical services or return the ED if needed, in case of clinical worsening.
The study will take place at the Ospedale U. Parini, Medicina e Chirurgia d'accettazione e Urgenza (MeCAU), Aosta; A.O. S. Croce e Carle, Medicina e Chirurgia d'Urgenza, Cuneo; A.O.U. Careggi, Medicina e Chirurgia d'Urgenza e Accettazione, Firenze; A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Ospedale Molinette, S.C. Medicina d'Urgenza U (MECAU), Torino and Ospedale San Giovanni Bosco, Medicina e Chirurgia d'accettazione e urgenza (MeCAU), Torino, Italy.
Adult patients older than 18 years subjected to a first ED visit for physician-confirmed COVID-19, discharged from the ED based on attending physician's or patient's decision (independent from study participation) can be enrolled into this study.
Among the excluding conditions appear nursing home residenting, already on home oxygen therapy and previous ED visit for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (within last 30 days).
The page dedicated to this clinical trial can be found here: https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04629183.
