Using patient-oriented research to better care for critically ill brain-injured patients

Trauma represents an enormous health burden worldwide, with traumatic brain injury as the leading cause of death and severe disabilities among young adults. The economic impact is staggering, resulting in billions of dollars in health care costs.

Although we have seen an improvement over time in the care of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury patients, there is still a great deal of knowledge lacking related to the early assessment of neurological prognosis and the optimal management of patients with traumatic brain injury.

The Chairholder, Dr. Alexis Turgeon, and the team of the Canada Research Chair in Critical Care Neurology and Trauma are working to fill these gaps. Our group is carrying out patient-oriented research on current practices used in neurocritically ill patients in order to improve prognostic evaluation and level-of-care decisions, and to develop new knowledge regarding clinical management strategies. We are also working towards developing evidence-based practice tools to guide decision-making processes that will be tested, validated and implemented at the bedside.

The ultimate goal of our reseach is to use evidence-based, patient-centred decision-making to improve bedside care and health outcomes of critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury.

Mission

Our mission is to improve bedside management strategies and health outcomes of critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury by implementing evidence-based informed decision-making.

Vision

The Chair’s program will lead to substantive changes in clinical practice. Our vision is to become a global reference in Critical Care Neurology and Trauma research.

Objectives

Through the assessment of current knowledge, the comparative evaluation of existing therapies and practice variability, the development of new knowledge through rigorous research, and the transfer of this knowledge at the bedside, the Chair’s program objectives are to:

  • Evaluate and critically appraise clinical evidence of prognostic assessment tools, interventions, technologies and management strategies used for the care of critically ill brain-injured trauma patients.
  • Develop new knowledge with regards to clinical management strategies and prognostic evaluation that can be tested, validated and implemented at the bedside.
  • To implement new knowledge and evidence-based management strategies to improve clinical practice at the bedside.

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