Behind the Scenes of Successful Research in Emergency Medicine: Nine Tips for Junior Investigators

Abstract

NARRATIVE ABSTRACTEducation related to clinical research often focuses on methodology, statistics, ethics, and study design. While knowledge of these conventional skills is essential to the operationalization of research, many "soft" skills related to leadership, communication, and team management are critical to the successful conduct research in the real world.Conducting clinical research in the emergency department is generally a challenging endeavor. Based on our prior experience as clinical researchers and a narrative review of the published literature, we offer nine practical strategies to help junior investigators conduct research. To successfully execute a research study, investigators must know how to motivate their team, create a brand around their study, communicate effectively, maximize clinician and patient engagement, and celebrate victory, among other skills. These skills and strategies are often missing from the formal research education and in peer-reviewed manuscripts but are, in fact, invaluable to the successful development of junior investigators. Thus, we offer the "story behind the study" in an effort to contribute to research education with material that is not typically covered in formal curricula.From the

Guest Editorial: The Time Is Now

“…Limited funding, resource constraints, recruitment challenges, and logistical hurdles often hinder the conduct of research in this fast-paced environment (Price et al., 2020). Moreover, the need to prioritize clinical care can sometimes overshadow the importance of research activities (Probst et al., 2019). Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from health care institutions, funding agencies, and policymakers to prioritize and support research initiatives within the ED.…”

Developing an intervention to manage professional isolation among emergency nurses working in Lesotho: an action research approach.

“…The value of EDs is more evident during an outbreak, when the EDs concurrently fulfil surveillance, triage and clinical care functions, such as continuing to manage acute illnesses and injuries (Markwell, Mitchell, Wright et al, 2020;Lam et al, 2019). This distinguishing feature of the EDs, particularly in low-source environments, renders them a challenging area to conduct clinical research, as they present unique methodological and operational challenges (Probst, Caputo & Chang, 2020;. Clinical research focusing on the EDs in low-resource environments is limited, although these environments carry over 40% of the total burden of diseases resulting from conditions that could be treated with prehospital and emergency care (Hirner, Saunders & Stassen, 2022;Millum, Beecroft, Hardcastle et al, 2019).…”