PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Andrew Dixon AU - Chantalle Clarkin AU - Nick Barrowman AU - Rhonda Correll AU - Martin H. Osmond AU - Amy C. Plint TI - Reduction of radial-head subluxation in children by triage nurses in the emergency department: a cluster-randomized controlled trial AID - 10.1503/cmaj.131101 DP - 2014 Jun 10 TA - Canadian Medical Association Journal PG - E317--E323 VI - 186 IP - 9 4099 - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/9/E317.short 4100 - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/9/E317.full SO - CMAJ2014 Jun 10; 186 AB - Background: Radial-head subluxation is an easily identified and treated injury. We investigated whether triage nurses in the emergency department can safely reduce radial-head subluxation at rates that are not substantially lower than those of emergency department physicians.Methods: We performed an open, noninferiority, cluster-randomized control trial. Children aged 6 years and younger who presented to the emergency department with a presentation consistent with radial-head subluxation and who had sustained a known injury in the previous 12 hours were assigned to either nurse-initiated or physician-initiated treatment, depending on the day. The primary outcome was the proportion of children who had a successful reduction (return to normal arm usage). We used a noninferiority margin of 10%.Results: In total, 268 children were eligible for inclusion and 245 were included in the final analysis. Of the children assigned to receive physician-initiated care, 96.7% (117/121) had a successful reduction performed by a physician. Of the children assigned to receive nurse-treatment care, 84.7% (105/124) had a successful reduction performed by a nurse. The difference in the proportion of successful radial head subluxations between the groups was 12.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8% to 19.7%). Noninferiority of nurse-initiated radial head subluxation was not shown.Interpretation: In this trial, the rate of successful radial-head subluxation performed by nurses was inferior to the physician success rate. Although the success rate in the nurse-initiated care group did not meet the non-inferiority margin, nurses were able to reduce radial head subluxation for almost 85% of children who presented with probable radial-head subluxation. Trial registration: Clinical Trials.gov, no. NCT00993954.