Clinical Trial: Study Assessing Impact of Dermatology Consultation for Patients Admitted With Cellulitis
Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: A Randomized Controlled Study to Assess the Impact of Dermatology Consultations on the Hospital Course of Patients Admitted for Cellulitis
Brief Summary: This is a randomized, controlled study to compare patients evaluated and managed by internal medicine hospitalists alone versus patients who are additionally evaluated by a dermatologist when they are admitted to the hospital, aiming to demonstrate that hospital admissions for cellulitis that involve early dermatology consultation will reduce hospital length of stay, readmission rates, prevalence of pseudocellulitis, cost, and antibiotic usage. The hypothesis of this study is that obtaining inpatient dermatology consultations, within 24 hours of a patient being admitted to the hospital for cellulitis, will reduce the length of stay, readmission rate, cost, and antibiotic usage of the patient‟s admission as well as properly evaluate and diagnose patients with pseudocellulitis. The primary objective will be to measure the difference in the length of stay for patients who are randomized to a dermatology consultation within 24 hours of hospital admission (active arm) versus being managed by an internal medicine hospitalist alone, as is the standard of care (control arm). The length of stay for each arm will be assessed once the study has been completed. The secondary endpoint will be to measure readmission rates for cellulitis after patients are discharged from the hospital. An additional endpoint will be to determine if antibiotic usage differs between patients randomized to a dermatology consultation and those not. Exploratory analyses will assess the percentage of patients with a concomitant known predisposing factor for recurrent cellulitis such as lymphedema, leg ulceration, tinea pedis, or onychomycosis, as well as the association of fever >100.5 F and a history of a prior episode of cellulitis.
Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital
Current Primary Outcome: Antibiotic usage [ Time Frame: 2 weeks after discharge from hospital stay ]
Original Primary Outcome: Same as current
Current Secondary Outcome: Length of hospital stay [ Time Frame: Will be measured at day of patient discharge ]
Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current
Information By: Massachusetts General Hospital
Dates:
Date Received: September 25, 2012
Date Started: October 2012
Date Completion: December 2017
Last Updated: February 20, 2017
Last Verified: February 2017
