Patient and staff experience of Rapid Assessment in the Emergency Dept
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the experience of patients and staff of a Rapid Assessment and Treatment Unit in the Emergency Department. A Qualitative Study.
IRAS ID
338212
Contact name
Christopher Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Salford
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
277 , UoS Ethics approval
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
United Kingdom (UK) Emergency Department’s (ED) have seen unprecedented pressure in the last decade, with an increase in patient crowding compromising safety (Royal College of Emergency Medicine [RCEM], 2017, Jones et al., 2022). Rapid Assessment and Treatment (RAT) units are a new method of front door assessment in Emergency Department’s (ED), with a clinician (doctor or Advanced Clinical Practitioner) supporting traditional nurse led triage processes in a purpose-built unit (Emergency Care Intensive Support Team [ECIST], 2012).
This study aims to explore and capture the experience of adult patients and ED staff of a RAT unit in the ED to identify key factors that can be used to future improve services.
Study objectives are fourfold and include:
• To explore the experience of ED patients being treated and cared for in a RAT unit, aiming to understand their interaction with the emergency service, waiting times, service responses, actual/preferred outcomes from treatment.
• To explore health care professional perceptions and experiences of working in, and during the introduction and implementation a RAT unit, to understand their delivery of patient care and treatment, challenges and ways to improve the service.
• To identify the key factors that influence patient experience within the RAT service, to expose service user priorities to inform future audit tools to capture the full impact of the RAT service in the future.
• To extend the theory and knowledge base of the RAT process with the aim to develop and improve practice for emergency care.The study will be made up of private interviews for patients, and focus groups for ED staff members. Patients will be purposively selected to ensure a wide variety of ages and presentations are interviewed. There will be a strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure vulnerable patients are safeguarded. The study will occur across two ED's to minimise bias.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/YH/0068
Date of REC Opinion
16 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion