Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Limkakeng, AT; Glickman, SW; Shofer, F; Mani, G; Drake, W; Freeman, D; Ascher, S; Pietrobon, R; Cairns, CB
Published in: Acad Emerg Med
April 2012

OBJECTIVES: There are unique challenges to enrolling patients in emergency department (ED) clinical research studies, including the time-sensitive nature of emergency conditions, the acute care environment, and the lack of an established relationship with patients. Prolonged ED wait times have been associated with a variety of adverse effects on patient care. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ED wait times on patient participation in ED clinical research. The hypothesis was that increased ED wait times would be associated with reduced ED clinical research consent rates. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients eligible for two diagnostic clinical research studies from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, in an urban academic ED. Sex, age, race, study eligibility, and research consent decisions were recorded by trained study personnel. The wait times to registration and to be seen by a physician were obtained from administrative databases and compared between consenters and nonconsenters. An analysis of association between patient wait times for the outcome of consent to participate was performed using a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 903 patients were eligible for enrollment and were asked for consent. Overall, 589 eligible patients (65%) gave consent to research participation. The consent rates did not change when patients were stratified by the highest and lowest quartile wait times for both time from arrival to registration (68% vs. 65%, p = 0.35) and time to be seen by a physician (65% vs. 66%, p = 0.58). After adjusting for patient demographics (age, race, and sex) and study, there was still no relationship between wait times and consent (p > 0.4 for both wait times). Furthermore, median time from arrival to registration did not differ between those who consented to participate (15 minutes; interquartile range [IQR] = 9 to 36 minutes) versus those who did not (15.5 minutes; IQR = 10 to 39 minutes; p = 0.80; odds ratio [OR] = 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.99 to 1.01). Similarly, there was no difference in the median time to be seen by a physician between those who consented (25 minutes; IQR = 15 to 55 minutes) versus those who did not (25 minutes; IQR = 15 to 56 minutes; p = 0.70; OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.01). CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of wait times, nearly two-thirds of eligible patients were willing to consent to diagnostic research studies in the ED. These findings suggest that effective enrollment in clinical research is possible in the ED, despite challenges with prolonged wait times.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Acad Emerg Med

DOI

EISSN

1553-2712

Publication Date

April 2012

Volume

19

Issue

4

Start / End Page

396 / 401

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Waiting Lists
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Research Subjects
  • Patient Participation
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Logistic Models
  • Informed Consent
  • Humans
  • Female
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Limkakeng, A. T., Glickman, S. W., Shofer, F., Mani, G., Drake, W., Freeman, D., … Cairns, C. B. (2012). Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research? Acad Emerg Med, 19(4), 396–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01310.x
Limkakeng, Alexander T., Seth W. Glickman, Frances Shofer, Giselle Mani, Weiying Drake, Debbie Freeman, Simon Ascher, Ricardo Pietrobon, and Charles B. Cairns. “Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research?Acad Emerg Med 19, no. 4 (April 2012): 396–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01310.x.
Limkakeng AT, Glickman SW, Shofer F, Mani G, Drake W, Freeman D, et al. Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research? Acad Emerg Med. 2012 Apr;19(4):396–401.
Limkakeng, Alexander T., et al. “Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research?Acad Emerg Med, vol. 19, no. 4, Apr. 2012, pp. 396–401. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01310.x.
Limkakeng AT, Glickman SW, Shofer F, Mani G, Drake W, Freeman D, Ascher S, Pietrobon R, Cairns CB. Are patients with longer emergency department wait times less likely to consent to research? Acad Emerg Med. 2012 Apr;19(4):396–401.
Journal cover image

Published In

Acad Emerg Med

DOI

EISSN

1553-2712

Publication Date

April 2012

Volume

19

Issue

4

Start / End Page

396 / 401

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Waiting Lists
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Research Subjects
  • Patient Participation
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Logistic Models
  • Informed Consent
  • Humans
  • Female