Paramedics test new rule to free patients from unnecessary neck braces
NCT ID NCT02786966
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether paramedics can use a simple checklist, called the Canadian C-Spine Rule, to decide which low-risk trauma patients don't need neck immobilization during transport. Over 3,600 patients across Ontario took part. The goal was to reduce discomfort, save money, and free up paramedics without missing serious neck injuries.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could change how paramedics handle low-risk neck injuries, reducing unnecessary immobilization and improving patient comfort.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed study, so results are already known. The approach may not work in all communities or for all patients, and there is a small risk of missed injuries.
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
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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
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3,646 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2017
- Finished
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May 2018
- Lead sponsor
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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
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8 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Alert (Glasgow Coma Scale 15) * Stable: Adult (16+): systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg, respiratory rate 10-24 breaths/minute; Child (8-15): systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg + (2 X age in years), respiratory rate 14-20 breaths/minute * Acute blunt injury (within 48 hours of paramedic contact) Exclusion Criteria: * Age \<8 years of age * Penetrating trauma from stabbing or gunshot wound * Acute paralysis (paraplegia, quadriplegia) * Known vertebral disease (ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal stenosis, previous c-spine surgery) * Referred from another hospital
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 4E9, Canada
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.