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Canadian Community ICU Research Network


 About CCIRNet

The Canadian Community ICU Research Network (CCIRNet) is an association of Canadian community ICU professionals with an interest in clinical research. Our goal is to foster a culture of ICU research in the community ICU setting across Canada with a view to increasing patient enrollment and improving the generalizability of study results.

We aim to break down the barriers that have traditionally existed between academic and community hospitals, at the level of research, in the hopes that this will lead to better care for our patients. By sharing our communal knowledge and experience we hope to support community ICUs in achieving their research goals.

 

CCIRNet publications:

  1. Fostering Community Hospital Research, CMAJ. 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31481424/
  2. Participation of More Community Hospitals in Randomized Trials of Treatments for COVID-19 Is Needed. CMAJ. 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575032/
  3. How can we increase participation in pandemic research in Canada? Can J Anaesth 69, 1–5 (2021). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34642867/
  4.  Community Hospital Contributions to a Multicenter Randomized Trial. Intensive Care Medicine Experimental 7, 001419 (2019).
  5. The research activities of Ontario's large community acute care hospitals: a scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Aug 16;17(1):566. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28814304/

CCIRNet was founded in 2019 by a group of community and academic intensivists and is supported by the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG).

The first CCIRNet meeting was held during the Canadian Critical Care Forum (CCCF) in November 2019. In attendance were 36 ICU professionals from across Canada, including representatives from 17 different community hospitals.

In the coming years we hope to expand our membership to include even more community ICUs from across Canada.

The mission of CCIRNet is to expand the research footprint of community ICUs across Canada and to serve as a source of information and support for community ICU professionals interested in research.

Membership in CCIRNet is open to all community ICU health professionals including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, research coordinators, and other allied health professionals. The only requirement for membership is a confirmed Canadian hospital email address. If you are interested in becoming a member of CCIRNet, please contact us.

Membership provides the following benefits:

  • Access to the CCIRNet intranet, within the CCCTG website
  • Information about ICU research studies welcoming community ICU participation
  • Connection to community ICU professionals involved in research across Canada
  • Advice on how to establish and sustain an ICU research program in the community setting
  • Invitation to the annual CCIRNet meeting during the Canadian Critical Care Forum

CCIRNet is a grassroots organization that welcomes your suggestions on how we can support community ICUs participating in research as well as health professionals with an interest in expanding their research participation. If you are interested in becoming more involved with CCIRNet, or if you have suggestions for how CCIRNet can better serve community ICUs, please email our steering committee at CCIRNet@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

You can also reach us on Twitter at @CCIRNet.