Requesting of investigations during RAT in the Emergency Department
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A comparison of the requesting of investigations by nurses versus doctors during Rapid Assessment and Treatment (RAT) in an Emergency Department
IRAS ID
148594
Contact name
Ruth Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
Research summary
Do nurses and doctors order the same investigations during the Rapid Assessment and Treatment (RAT) of patients on initial admission to the Emergency Department (ED)?
Rapid Assessment and Treatment (RAT) is the process of undertaking a rapid assessment and determining what investigations and immediate treatment is needed for patients initially attending an ED. Studies suggest a number of advantages of RAT including decreased length of stay and improved patient experience. Most models of RAT use a team led by a senior doctor and a nurse. However most departments do not run RAT 24 hours a day. Potential benefits of a nurse-led RAT model include that it may provide a consistent 24/7 model, enabling a more efficient use of resources. No published literature can currently be found which explores the effectiveness of RAT nurses.
This will be a quantitative prospective evaluation study. The aim of this study is to investigate whether nurses and doctors order the same investigations during the RAT of patients on initial admission to ED. A convenience sample of patients will be selected from patients attending ED at St Thomas’ Hospital. Investigations ordered by the doctors and nurses will be compared to identify any differences and to investigate any patterns that emerge.
Study participants will have two RAT assessments one undertaken by a nurse and one by a doctor. Following the RAT assessments the clinicians will indicate which investigations they think are appropriate.
The second clinician will be blinded to any prior investigations ordered. The study will aim to recruit 70 patients. This research will be undertaken as part of a Masters of Research in Clinical Practice project.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0847
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion