Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap

Luregn J Schlapbach¹, Padmanabhan Ramnarayan², Kristen S Gibbons³, Brenda M Morrow⁴, Natalie Napolitano⁵, Lyvonne N Tume⁶, Andrew C Argent⁴, Akash Deep⁷, Jan Hau Lee⁸, Mark J Peters⁹, Michael S D Agus¹⁰, John Adabie Appiah¹¹, Jennifer Armstrong¹², Tigist Bacha¹³, Warwick Butt¹⁴, Daniela Carla de Souza¹⁵, Jaime Fernández-Sarmiento¹⁶, Heidi R Flori¹⁷, Patricia Fontela¹⁸, Ben Gelbart¹⁴, Sebastián González-Dambrauskas¹⁹, Takanari Ikeyama²⁰, Roberto Jabornisky²¹, Muralidharan Jayashree²², Yasser M Kazzaz²³, Martin C J Kneyber²⁴, Debbie Long²⁵, Jenala Njirimmadzi²⁶, Rujipat Samransamruajkit²⁷, Roelie M Wösten-van Asperen²⁸, Quan Wang²⁹, Katie O'Hearn¹², Kusum Menon¹²; Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Paediatric Study Group; Brazilian Research Network in Pediatric Intensive Care; Canadian Critical Care Trials Group; European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care; Pediatric Collaborative Network of Latin America; Pediatric Acute & Critical Care Medicine Asian Network; Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators; United Kingdom Paediatric Critical Care Society Study Group; Pediatric Intensive Care Latin-American Society; World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies

Affiliations

¹ Department of Intensive Care and Neonatology, and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: luregn.schlapbach@kispi.uzh.ch.
² Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK; Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
³ Children's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁵ Respiratory Therapy Department, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁶ Faculty of Health, Social Care & Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK; Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
⁷ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁸ Children's Intensive Care Unit, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
⁹ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK; University College London Great Ormond St Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Division of Medical Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Directorate of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹³ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, St Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹⁴ Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹⁵ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil; Latin American Sepsis Institute, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁶ Department of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología, Universidad de La Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia.
¹⁷ Division of Critical Care, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
¹⁹ Departamento de Pediatría y Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Niños, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
²⁰ Center for Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
²¹ Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina.
²² Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
²³ Department of Pediatrics, Ministry of National Guards Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²⁴ Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands; Critical Care, Anesthesiology, Peri-operative & Emergency medicine, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
²⁵ School of Nursing, Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
²⁶ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Mercy James Centre for Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
²⁷ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Bumrungrad International Hospital, and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
²⁸ Department of Paediatric Intensive Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht and Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, Netherlands.
²⁹ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

PMID: 39718171
DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00303-1

Review

Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap

Luregn J Schlapbach et al. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2025 Feb.

. 2025 Feb;9(2):138-150.

doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00303-1. Epub 2024 Dec 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Intensive Care and Neonatology, and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: luregn.schlapbach@kispi.uzh.ch.
² Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK; Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
³ Children's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁵ Respiratory Therapy Department, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁶ Faculty of Health, Social Care & Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK; Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
⁷ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁸ Children's Intensive Care Unit, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
⁹ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK; University College London Great Ormond St Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Division of Medical Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Directorate of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹³ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, St Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹⁴ Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹⁵ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil; Latin American Sepsis Institute, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁶ Department of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología, Universidad de La Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia.
¹⁷ Division of Critical Care, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
¹⁹ Departamento de Pediatría y Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Niños, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
²⁰ Center for Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
²¹ Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina.
²² Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
²³ Department of Pediatrics, Ministry of National Guards Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²⁴ Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands; Critical Care, Anesthesiology, Peri-operative & Emergency medicine, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
²⁵ School of Nursing, Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
²⁶ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Mercy James Centre for Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
²⁷ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Bumrungrad International Hospital, and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
²⁸ Department of Paediatric Intensive Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht and Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, Netherlands.
²⁹ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

PMID: 39718171
DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00303-1

Abstract

Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups. The group identified key challenges to paediatric critical care research, including lower patient numbers than for adult critical care, heterogeneity related to cognitive development, comorbidities and illness or injury, consent challenges, disproportionately little research funding for paediatric critical care, and poor infrastructure in resource-limited settings. A seven-point roadmap was proposed: (1) formation of an international paediatric critical care research network; (2) development of a web-based toolkit library to support paediatric critical care trials; (3) establishment of a global paediatric critical care trial repository, including systematic prioritisation of topics and populations for interventional trials; (4) development of a harmonised trial minimum set of trial data elements and data dictionary; (5) building of infrastructure and capability to support platform trials; (6) funder advocacy; and (7) development of a collaborative implementation programme. Implementation of this roadmap will contribute to the successful design and conduct of trials that match the needs of globally diverse paediatric populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests LJS received grants from the Swiss Personalized Health Network, Personalized Health-Related Technologies Switzerland, Nomis Foundation, Thomas & Doris Ammann Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Health and Medical Research Council, and Medical Research Future Funds. KSG received support from a National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leader Fellowship. BMM received grants from EuroQoL and the Society of Critical Care Medicine; and serves as President of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies and the Critical Care Society of South Africa. NN received grants from Actuated Medical and Philips Respironics. AA received travel support from the WHO. JHL received grants from the Thrasher Foundation (USA) and the National Research Medical Council (Singapore). MJP received grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment and serves on the general funding committee. JF-S received grants from the Universidad de La Sabana. HRF received a grant from NIH. PF received grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. MCJK received a grant from NIH and consultancy fees from Metran. KM received funding from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation; and is chair of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group.

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Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap

Affiliations

Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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Full Text Sources

Medical