Sheffield study could help A&E departments better identify serious coronavirus cases

A new study which could improve how UK accident and emergency departments identify which coronavirus patients need to be admitted to hospital has been launched in Sheffield.
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Led by Professor Steve Goodacre from the University of Sheffield’s School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) and sponsored by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the study aims to optimise how patients with Covid-19 are currently assessed and treated by the emergency care system.

It has been launched in collaboration with hospitals across the UK and will examine the methods used by both A&E departments and ambulance services to determine whether a patient with a suspected case of coronavirus should be admitted to hospital or not.

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Ambulance staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) help a patient from an ambulance. Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas for Getty Images.Ambulance staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) help a patient from an ambulance. Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas for Getty Images.
Ambulance staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) help a patient from an ambulance. Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas for Getty Images.
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The results could then help identify new, more accurate methods but may also point out which characteristics – such as age or underlying health conditions – put a patient at higher risk of serious complications.

Steve Goodacre, a professor of emergency medicine at UoS, said: “Our project aims to improve assessment so that the patients who are at greatest risk are admitted to hospital, while those who can safely go home are able to do so.”

During the study, researchers will use hospital records and follow coronavirus patients through the emergency care system for up to 30 days.

They will also use patient data from the early stages of coronavirus pandemic to identify which methods did, or did not, predict serious illnesses or recommended unnecessary hospital admissions.

The Northern General Hospital in Sheffield is taking part in the new studyThe Northern General Hospital in Sheffield is taking part in the new study
The Northern General Hospital in Sheffield is taking part in the new study
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To learn more about the Pandemic Respiratory Infection Emergency System Triage study, which has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) Programme, click here. .

It is one of a number of Covid-18 studies that have been given urgent public health research status by England’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, all of which are listed on the NIHR website.

Hospitals participating in the Sheffield study include the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, and others further afield such as Barnsley Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, and King’s College Hospital in London.

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