{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]],"date-time":"2026-07-14T11:18:56Z","timestamp":1784027936596,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,24]],"date-time":"2022-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1661299200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"German Federal Joint Committee\u2019s (G-BA) Innovation Funds","award":["01NVF19025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["01NVF19025"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aims to improve emergency department (ED) care for patients suffering from atraumatic abdominal pain. An application-supported pathway for the ED will be implemented, which supports quick, evidence-based, and standardized diagnosis and treatment steps for patients with atraumatic abdominal pain at the ED. A mixed-methods multicentre cluster randomized controlled stepped wedge trial design will be applied. A total of 10 hospitals with EDs (expected n = 2.000 atraumatic abdominal pain patients) will consecutively (every 4 months) be randomized to apply the intervention. Inclusion criteria for patients are a minimum age of 18 years, suffering from atraumatic abdominal pain and being insured with a German statutory health insurance. Primary outcomes: acute pain score at time of discharge from ED, duration of treatment at the ED, patient-reported satisfaction. Secondary endpoints include patient safety and quality of care parameters, process evaluation parameters, and costs and cost-effectiveness parameters. Quantitative data will be gathered from patient-surveys, clinical records, and routine data from hospital information systems as well as from a participating German statutory health insurance. Descriptive and analytic statistical analysis will be performed to provide summaries and associations for primary patient-reported outcomes, process measures, quality measures, and costs. Qualitative data collection consists of participatory patient observations and semi-structured expert interviews, which will be inductively analysed. Findings will be disseminated in publications in peer-reviewed journals, on conferences, as well as via a project website. To ensure data protection, appropriate technical and organisational measures will be taken.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Trial registration:<\/jats:bold> <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" ext-link-type=\"uri\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/notfallmedizin-nord.charite.de\/metas\/meldung\/artikel\/detail\/apu_studie_im_drks_register_registriert\/DRKS00021052\" xlink:type=\"simple\">DRKS00021052<\/jats:ext-link>.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0273115","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,24]],"date-time":"2022-08-24T17:35:51Z","timestamp":1661362551000},"page":"e0273115","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["The Abdominal Pain Unit (APU). Study protocol of a standardized and structured care pathway for patients with atraumatic abdominal pain in the emergency department: A stepped wedged cluster randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3771-9783","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Maria B.","family":"Altendorf","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martin","family":"M\u00f6ckel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liane","family":"Schenk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antje","family":"Fischer-Rosinsky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johann","family":"Frick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lukas","family":"Helbig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dirk","family":"Horenkamp-Sonntag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"D\u00f6rte","family":"Huscher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luisa","family":"Lichtenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"Reinhold","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3351-8378","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Daniel","family":"Schindel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Britta","family":"Stier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"Sydow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yves-Noel","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grit","family":"Zimmermann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Slagman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0273115.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1097\/MEJ.0b013e328351e609","article-title":"Chief complaints in medical emergencies: do they relate to underlying disease and outcome? 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