Expanding the Patient-Oriented Research Capacity of the Canadian Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CEDRRN) to Enable Patient-Centered Adaptive Platform Trials and Ensure Health Crisis Preparedness

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada's research response did not have the adequate systems in place to save lives. The pandemic has shown that engaging patients in research is more relevant than ever, especially for marginalized patients who were the hardest hit. Climate change is also adding new challenges to caring for patients in the emergency department (ED). New research infrastructures to ensure better pandemic and climate change preparedness are needed. The United Kingdom (UK) demonstrated that a highly performing health system can embed research into practice using innovative 'platform trials'. Platform trial benefits include: (1) multiple emerging questions can be evaluated simultaneously; and (2) data that is already collected can be utilized to increase the likelihood that patients are randomized to treatments more likely to be beneficial. However, platform trials create new challenges about how to meaningfully involve patients in their planning and also about how to obtain consent. The Canadian Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CEDRRN, pronounced "sedrin") was created during the pandemic as a multisite observational registry to respond to decision-maker and patient partner questions. Its Patient Engagement Committee (PEC) guided its research questions and methods. Building on the UK's experience, CEDRRN aims to pivot its research infrastructure including its PEC to support future platform trials in EM to better prepare for pandemics and climate change. The overarching aim of this project is to expand CEDRRN's patient-oriented research capacity to enable relevant and timely platform trials in Emergency Medicine (EM) to address pandemic and climate-mediated disaster preparedness. Its specific aims are: (1) Build patient-oriented research capacity in EM that is equitable, diverse and inclusive; (2) Identify patient-centered research priorities suitable for future ED platform trials; (3) Explore what consent models are acceptable to ED patients.