Could ER specialists clear abdominal pain faster than surgeons?

NCT ID NCT07815795

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Haukeland University Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Sep 11, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026

Summary

Adults who arrive at the emergency department with sudden, unexplained abdominal pain usually get their first assessment from a junior surgical doctor. This trial at Haukeland University Hospital randomly assigns 440 such patients to either that standard surgical pathway or an initial assessment by an experienced emergency medicine physician. Researchers compare how long patients stay in the emergency department and check safety measures such as readmission and death within 30 days. Participants also answer a short questionnaire about their emergency department experience.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Initial assessment by an emergency medicine physician instead of a surgical team
What this could lead to: If the emergency medicine model works, hospitals could shorten ER waits for abdominal pain without raising the risk of readmission or death.
What could go wrong: This is a single-hospital study of 440 adults, so the results may not apply to other hospitals or patients. The approach could also fail to shorten stays or prove less safe than standard surgical assessment.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 440 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Apr 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * • Age ≥18 years * Referred to or arrived at the emergency department at Haukeland University Hospital and referred for gastrointestinal surgical assessment on arrival * Presenting with undifferentiated acute abdominal pain or another acute abdominal problem for which the final diagnosis and level of treatment have not been clarified on arrival * Has capacity to consent and provides informed consent If a patient is initially referred to another specialty but, after primary triage/initial assessment, is reclassified as having a gastrointestinal surgical problem before the first physician contact, the patient may be included if the other criteria are fulfilled. Exclusion Criteria: * • Age \<18 years * Does not have capacity to consent * Previously included in the study * Known and clarified surgical diagnosis with an established treatment plan on arrival * Open return access to the gastrointestinal surgery department (for example, known malignancy) * Admission for a clearly defined postoperative complication following recent surgery

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Abdomen, Acute Abdominal Pain Emergencies

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Abdomen, acute Abdominal pain (AP) Acute abdomen Acute abdominal pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Could ER specialists clear abdominal pain faster than surgeons?

What the study statuses mean