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CompletedNCT05846685Updated Jun 5, 2026

Patient Perspectives of an Automated Falls-Risk Screening and Referral Tool in the Emergency Department (ED)

An observational study in Falls-Risk, sponsored by University of Wisconsin, Madison. Completed at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-05.

Sponsored by University of Wisconsin, Madison · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
10
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of the overall study to evaluate implementation-related outcomes of a falls-risk clinical decision support (CDS) system using patient electronic health records (EHR) data to automatically screen and identify older adult ED patients at high risk of future falls and allowing ED clinicians to place referral orders to the UW Health Mobility and Falls clinic. This CDS tool has already been implemented at the UWHC ED, and will be additionally implemented at The American Center and Swedish American Hospital EDs (all QI initiatives) over the next two years. This study involves engaging a sample of referred patients from each site to gather their perspectives on the delivery of the referral in the ED, their experiences in making and completing appointments at the Falls Clinic (if applicable), and perceived benefits of the intervention overall.

Read the detailed description

The aim of this study is to assess perceptions and implementation-related outcomes for the automated screening and referral tool based upon the experiences of older adult patients receiving the referral (or who could be eligible for the referral) at each of the three ED sites, including identifying reasons why some referred patients do not schedule or attend appointments as a result of the referral order.

Phone interviews will be conducted with a minimum of 12 referred patients per each of the 3 ED sites, approximately half of whom scheduled and completed a Falls Clinic visit, and half whom declined or did not complete an appointment. Interview questions include a mix of verbally-delivered Likert-type rating scales and open-ended questions evaluating their experience of the referral process (e.g., verbal communication, written information received), appropriateness of the CDS screening tool, and perceived value of the intervention for preventing falls.

Additionally, in person interviews will be conducted with a minimum of 10 patients each at the American Center and Swedish American Hospital sites prior to implementation of the intervention at these sites. These will be conducted among patients aged 65 and older who are in the emergency department and likely to be discharged. These interviews will be aimed at collecting patient input necessary to adapt the design of the intervention at these sites. Interview questions will include open-ended questions evaluating the perceived value of the the intervention for preventing falls as well as potential barriers and facilitators to completing the intervention at these sites. Interviews will be conducted by ED staff trained and experienced in research data collection in the ED to minimize interruption of clinical workflows. In consultation with provider teams, interviewers will time interviews to avoid clinical interventions, and will pause research activities while any clinical care is taking place.

02

Conditions studied

  • Falls-Risk

Keywords

  • Machine Learning
  • Computer Decision Support
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Qualitative Analysis
03

In context

Lead sponsor

University of Wisconsin, Madison is the lead sponsor of 1,161 studies on the registry; 182 are open to participants now.

Of its 151 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 114 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

ED patients age 65 or older

Inclusion criteria

  • ED patients identified by the automated system as being high-risk of future falls, and subsequently referred to the UW Health Mobility and Falls Clinic by the ED provider at discharge.
  • English-speaking
  • Reliable access to a working telephone and can accept incoming phone calls
  • For In-person interviews in the ED:

    • ED patients age 65 and older in the emergency department for any reason who are identified as likely to be discharged by their clinical team.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Incarcerated or in police custody
  • Lacks capacity to consent
  • Unable to hear or speak on the telephone, even with the use of assistive devices
05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
10 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • ED Patients Scheduled and Completed Falls Clinic Visit

    Patients age 65 and Older identified by the automated system as being high-risk of future falls, and subsequently referred to the UW Health Mobility and Falls Clinic by the ED provider at discharge

    Other: Patient Phone Interviews

  • ED Patients Declined or Did Not Complete Falls Clinic Visit

    Patients age 65 and Older identified by the automated system as being high-risk of future falls, and subsequently referred to the UW Health Mobility and Falls Clinic by the ED provider at discharge

    Other: Patient Phone Interviews

  • ED Patients Likely to be Discharged

    Patients aged 65 and older who are in the emergency department and likely to be discharged.

    Other: Patient In Person Interviews

Interventions

  • OtherPatient Phone Interviews

    Collecting perceptions about automated falls-risk screening and referral tool

  • OtherPatient In Person Interviews

    Interviews will be aimed at collecting patient input necessary to adapt the design of the intervention at these sites.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Qualitative Measure to Summarize Reasons Patients Did Not Schedule or Attend Appointments Based on Referral

    Participant responses will be coded to identify themes. Participant counts will be reported.

    Time frame: up to 30 months

07

Study locations

3 sites
  • Swedish American Emergency Department
    Rockford, Illinois 61008, United States
  • The American Center Emergency Department
    Madison, Wisconsin 53718, United States
  • UWHC Emergency Department
    Madison, Wisconsin 53792, United States
08

References and documents

Study documents

  • Informed consent form · Jun 15, 2021

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 5, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05846685
Lead sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Collaborators
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 6, 2023
Start date
Feb 22, 2022
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2026
Completion
Feb 28, 2026
Last update
Jun 5, 2026

Study contacts

Brian W Patterson, MD, MPH
principal investigator · University of Wisconsin, Madison

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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