Eligibility of Patients Referred to Emergency Departments by Their General Practitioners for Care in Walk-in Clinics: A Single-Center Study in Île-de-France
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Emergency Service, Hospital, Primary Health Care, General Practitioners, Walk-In Clinics. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- France
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
This study aims to find out how many patients sent to the emergency department by their general practitioner could instead be treated in a walk-in clinic. Walk-in clinics provide quick, basic medical care without an appointment and can perform simple tests like blood work and X-rays. By identifying patients who don't need full hospital emergency care, this study hopes to improve patient flow and reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms in the Île-de-France region.
Primary outcome measures
- Proportion of Patients Referred by General Practitioners to the Emergency Department Who Could Have Been Managed in a Walk-in Clinic [Time frame: 30 min]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age 18 years or older
- Patient referred to the emergency department (ED) with a letter from a general practitioner (GP)
- ED visit during the study hours (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Consultation in the selected adult emergency service
- Medical or traumatic reason justifying the ED visit
- Patient stable at arrival and during ED care
Exclusion criteria
- Patients under 18 years old (pediatric cases excluded)
- No referral letter or proof of GP referral
- ED visit outside study hours (weekends, nights)
- Patients requiring intensive hospital care defined by:
- Intravenous treatments (e.g., antibiotics, fluids)
- Heavy imaging exams (CT scan, MRI) during the visit
- Diagnoses with immediate life- or function-threatening conditions (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke, severe infection)
- Hospitalization decided during or after ED visit
- Clinical instability at or during ED visit (abnormal vital signs, respiratory distress, etc.)
- Patients referred for non-medical reasons (social issues, lack of medical follow-up)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
France · 1 center
- Centre Hospitalier de Gonesse — Gonesse
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07122869 · 0115_URGENCES