Smart Alert System for Hospital Care

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Ernestine Smoot, MAEd

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: David T Huang

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

3000 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a smart alert system that assists doctors in the ICU by providing real-time alerts about unusual patient care behavior. The trial aims to determine if these alerts can enhance decision-making at the bedside. It includes two groups: one where doctors receive the alerts (Revealed Alerts) and another where they do not (Unrevealed Alerts). Patients currently in the Presbyterian and Montefiore ICUs can participate in this trial. As an unphased trial, it offers patients the chance to contribute to innovative research that could improve ICU care for future patients.

Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this smart alert system is safe for hospital care?

Research has shown that alert systems in hospitals can enhance patient care safety and quality. For instance, a large study involving 13 million patients found that safety improved when healthcare staff used these alerts. However, while alerts contribute to safety, they can sometimes overwhelm staff, leading to "alert fatigue." This occurs when too many alerts make it difficult for staff to focus on the most critical ones.

Overall, these alert systems are safe for hospital use, but there is potential for improvement. Although no specific problems have been reported from using these systems, balancing the number of alerts is crucial to prevent fatigue. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Smart Alert System for Hospital Care because it aims to revolutionize how hospitals manage patient alerts. Unlike traditional systems that often overwhelm staff with too many alerts, this system differentiates between "Revealed Alerts" and "Unrevealed Alerts," potentially offering a more efficient way to prioritize critical patient information. This approach could significantly reduce alert fatigue among healthcare professionals, allowing them to focus on the most urgent cases and ultimately improving patient outcomes. By enhancing the clarity and urgency of alerts, this system could streamline hospital workflows and ensure timely medical interventions.

What evidence suggests that this trial's alert system could be effective for improving clinician behavior?

This trial will compare two types of digital alert systems: Revealed Alerts and Unrevealed Alerts. Research has shown that digital alert systems can significantly improve hospital care by shortening hospital stays and aiding doctors in better patient management. For instance, studies have found that automated alerts assist in managing conditions like sepsis by providing timely warnings, leading to improved health outcomes. One study discovered that electronic alerts helped doctors recognize and begin treating acute kidney injury (AKI) earlier, although it did not directly improve kidney function. These findings suggest that such systems can make a real difference by quickly notifying healthcare providers, potentially enhancing patient safety and care efficiency. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

David Huang, MD

Principal Investigator

University of Pittsburgh

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for critically ill patients being transferred to a healthcare facility. Specific eligibility criteria are not provided, so it's unclear who exactly can participate.

Inclusion Criteria

All patients in the Presbyterian and Montefiore ICUs

Exclusion Criteria

Not applicable.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Alert Evaluation

Real-time evaluation of outlier alerts generated by an AI model from EHR data, reviewed by ICU clinicians for clinical relevance.

Up to 90 days

Daily reviews

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after alert interventions

Up to 90 days

Study Completion

Evaluation of alert system performance and clinical outcomes over the study period

An average of 2 years

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Revealed Alerts
• Unrevealed Alerts

Trial Overview The study tests the effect of real-time alerts on clinician behavior at the bedside. These alerts come from an intelligent system monitoring electronic health records and indicate unusual clinician actions.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Revealed Alerts Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: Unrevealed Alerts Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

David T Huang

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

4,600+

National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Collaborator

Trials

102

Recruited

21,600+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7794456/

Clinical outcomes of digital sensor alerting systems in remote ... Digital alerts can considerably reduce hospitalisation and length of stay for certain cohorts in remote monitoring.

2. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41746-022-00650-5

Effectiveness of automated alerting system compared to ... The study shows a statistically significant beneficial effect of using the automated alerting system in the management of sepsis.

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11780298/

Effectiveness of Remote Patient Monitoring Equipped With an ... This study aimed to assess the impact of a Remote Patient Monitoring System (RPMS) with an automated early warning system (R-EWS) on patient safety in ...

4. bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-024-03639-x

Effect of electronic alerts on the care and outcomes in patients ... Electronic alerts increased the incidence of AKI and dialysis in AKI patients, which likely reflected improved recognition and early intervention.

5. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814092

Automated Electronic Alert for the Care and Outcomes of ... Results of this randomized clinical trial showed that the electronic AKI alert did not improve kidney function or other patient-centered outcomes but changed ...

6. aha.org aha.org/press-releases/2025-03-12-report-reveals-link-between-health-care-workforce-well-being-patient-experience-and-safety-outcomes

Report Reveals Link Between Health Care Workforce Well ... 13 million patients and nearly 2 million members of the health care workforce report improvements in safety, care quality and resilience.

7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32620948/

The tradeoffs between safety and alert fatigue: Data from a ... Although hospitals improved overall from 2017 to 2018, there is still important room for improvement for both fatal and nuisance orders.

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352914822001873

Impact of clinical alarms on patient safety from nurses' ... This study aimed to examine the impact of alarm fatigue and its implications on patient safety from nurses' perspective.

9. patientsafetylearning.org patientsafetylearning.org/blog/new-artificial-intelligence-system-to-identify-patient-safety-issues-announced-initial-reflections

New AI system to identify patient safety issues announced The Department says that this new Maternity Outcomes Signal System will use near real-time data to flag higher than expected rates of stillbirth ...

10. who.int who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/patient-safety

Patient safety Around 1 in every 10 patients is harmed in health care and more than 3 million deaths occur annually due to unsafe care. · Above 50% of harm (1 ...