Under 17, any sex, with Trauma or Injuries. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov
Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Child Hospital Survey Communication SubscalePrimary· 3 days after emergency department visit
19 questions from the Communication with Parent Subscale of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Child Hospital Survey. We created an "Overall" score representing the sum of the subscales. Analyses compared normalized scores (from 0 to 1) for the overall score and each of the subscale scores, which higher scores implying improved experiences of care. Adjusted mean differences were calculated using mixed-effects regression models, accounting for a small number of potential confounders, with splines to adjust for calendar time.
We collected data on the following measures:
Overall patient experience of care
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.769
± 0.209
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.775
± 0.223
When Your Child Was Admitted to this Hospital
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.735
± 0.335
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.747
± 0.357
Your Experience with Nurses at [hospital name]
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.878
± 0.205
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.890
± 0.214
Your Experience with Doctors at [hospital name]
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.872
± 0.230
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.865
± 0.254
Your Experience with Providers at [hospital name]
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.859
± 0.208
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.875
± 0.203
When Your Child Left the ED at [hospital name]
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
0.645
± 0.331
Telephone Consultation (Control)
0.632
± 0.359
3-Day State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form YPrimary· 3 days after emergency department visit
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory measures state anxiety levels in adults. Responses for the State Anxiety scale assess intensity of current feelings "at this moment". Participant response choices include: 1) not at all, 2) somewhat, 3) moderately so, and 4) very much so. Data below represent total mean and standard deviation scores between the two groups.
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
1.775
± 0.594
Telephone Consultation (Control)
1.812
± 0.620
Transfer RatesSecondary· Transfer from initial ED visit to UCDH
Transfer rates from the referring emergency department to the trauma center will be compared between the control and intervention groups.
Transferred to UCDH
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
338
Telephone Consultation (Control)
212
Discharged Home from UCDH ED
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
127
Telephone Consultation (Control)
73
Admitted to the Ward
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
107
Telephone Consultation (Control)
71
Admitted to the ICU
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
32
Telephone Consultation (Control)
32
Taken to Operating Room
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
72
Telephone Consultation (Control)
36
30-Day Healthcare UtilizationSecondary· 30 days after emergency department visit
Healthcare utilization included hospitalization and re-hospitalization as measures. Two analyses were done to study 30-day healthcare utilization comparing the intervention and control group.
First, the VPTC model of care was compared to the standard of care with respect to ED and hospital use, including transfer and subsequent care needed following initial injury. Second, the VPTC model of care was compared to the standard of care with respect to healthcare (hospital) charges.
Total Post-Transfer Initial Care Charges in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
77,805
± 93,219
Telephone Consultation (Control)
79,468
± 103,570
Total Subsequent Care Charges in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
3,228
± 37,330
Telephone Consultation (Control)
976
± 8,495
Total 30-Day Charges in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
81,032
± 105,762
Telephone Consultation (Control)
90,443
± 104,401
3-Day Out-of-Pocket CostsSecondary· 3 days after emergency department visit
At 3-days, surveys requested parents of patients to self-report medical and non-medical Out-of-Pocket costs following their ED visit.
3-Day Medical Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
151
± 1,521
Telephone Consultation (Control)
507
± 4,478
3-Day Non-Medical Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
228
± 405
Telephone Consultation (Control)
335
± 735
3-Day Total Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
379
± 1,572
Telephone Consultation (Control)
842
± 4,596
30-Day Out-of-Pocket CostsSecondary· 30 days after emergency department visit
At 30-days, surveys requested parents of patients to self-report medical and non-medical Out-of-Pocket costs following their ED visit.
30-Day Medical Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
247
± 926
Telephone Consultation (Control)
3,293
± 31,945
30-Day Non-Medical Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
625
± 4,670
Telephone Consultation (Control)
216
± 411
30-Day Total Out-of-Pocket Costs in Dollars
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
872
± 4,747
Telephone Consultation (Control)
3,509
± 32,022
30-Day State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form YSecondary· 30 days after emergency department visit using Intention-to-Treat analysis.
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure state anxiety levels. Responses for the State Anxiety scale assess intensity of current feelings "at this moment". Participant choices included: 1) not at all, 2) somewhat, 3) moderately so, and 4) very much so. Data below represent total mean and standard deviation scores between the two groups.
Group
Value
95% CI
Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (Intervention)
1.776
± 0.647
Telephone Consultation (Control)
1.798
± 0.621
Sponsor's own description
More than 41 million children, or 55 percent of all children in the United States, live more than 30 minutes away from a pediatric trauma center. The management of pediatric trauma requires medical expertise that is only available at Level I pediatric trauma centers, which are specialized pediatric referral hospitals located in large urban cities. Smaller hospitals lack pediatric trauma expertise and resources to properly care for these children. When a small hospital receives a child with trauma, the standard of care is to conduct a telephone consultation to a pediatric trauma specialist, err on the side of safety, and transfer the child to the regional Level I pediatric trauma center.
A newer model of care, the Virtual Pediatric Trauma Center (VPTC), uses live video, or telemedicine, to bring the expertise of a Level I pediatric trauma center virtually to patients at any hospital emergency department. While the VPTC model is being used more frequently, the advantages and disadvantages of these two systems of care remain unknown, particularly with regard to parent/family-centered outcomes.
The goal of this study is to optimize the patient and family experience and to minimize distress, healthcare utilization, and out-of-pocket costs following the injury of a child. The results of this project will help to optimize communication, confidence, and shared decision making between parents/families and clinical staff from both the transferring and receiving hospitals.
Publications & conference data
2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Davis
Last refreshed: 4 March 2025
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT04469036.