Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Community hospitals account for 90% of hospitals in Canada, but clinical research is mainly conducted in academic hospitals. Increasing community hospital research participation can improve generalizability of study results, while also accelerating study recruitment and increasing staff engagement. We aimed to identify and describe the factors that influence community intensive care unit (ICU) research participation and the development, implementation, and sustainability of a community ICU research program. ⋯ In this qualitative descriptive study, participants identified the physical resources, skills, and relationships required to start and sustain a clinical research program in a Canadian community ICU. Our findings suggest that all levels of the Canadian health care system need to invest in strengthening community hospital research capacity to increase research participation.
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Although health research in Canada is primarily conducted in academic hospitals, most patients receive their care in community hospitals. The benefits of increasing research capacity in community hospitals include improved study recruitment, increased generalizability of results, broader patient access to novel therapies, better patient outcomes, enhanced staff satisfaction, and improved organizational efficiency. Nevertheless, building research programs in community hospitals remains challenging because of a lack of support and expertise. To address this gap, we developed a toolkit to help community hospital professionals build and sustain their community hospital research programs. ⋯ The CCIRNet toolkit is a practical resource for establishing research programs in community hospitals. The toolkit may increase research participation and support clinical research capacity building in community hospitals.