Pediatric Emergency Research Networks: a global initiative in pediatric emergency medicine.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of the Pediatric Emergency Research Network's (PERN) meeting were to (i) learn about each of the participating network's missions, goals, and infrastructure; (ii) share important contributions that each network has made to the creation of new knowledge; (iii) discuss 'best practices' to improve each network's effectiveness and (iv) explore the potential for a collaborative research project as proof-of-concept that would help promote quality of care of the acutely ill and injured child/youth globally.


METHODS
In October 2009 a multiday meeting was attended by 18 delegates representing the following pediatric emergency medicine research networks: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee (USA); Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (USA); Pediatric Emergency Research of Canada (Canada); Pediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (Australia and New Zealand); and Research in European Pediatric Emergency Medicine (15 countries in Europe and the Middle East).


RESULTS
The inaugural meeting of PERN showed that there is a common desire for high-quality research and the dissemination of this research to improve health and outcomes of acutely ill and injured children and youths throughout the world. At present, the PERN group is in the final stages of developing a protocol to assess H1N1 risk factors with the collection of retrospective data.


CONCLUSIONS
Several members of PERN will be gathering at the International Conference on Emergency Medicine in Singapore, where the group will be presenting information about the H1N1 initiative. The PERN group is planning to bring together all five networks later in 2010 to discuss future global collaborations.
Klassen
Terry P
TP
Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Acworth
Jason
J
Bialy
Liza
L
Black
Karen
K
Chamberlain
James M
JM
Cheng
Nicholas
N
Dalziel
Stuart
S
Fernandes
Ricardo M
RM
Fitzpatrick
Eleanor
E
Johnson
David W
DW
Kuppermann
Nathan
N
Macias
Charles G
CG
Newton
Mandi
M
Osmond
Martin H
MH
Plint
Amy
A
Valerio
Paolo
P
Waisman
Yehezkel
Y
D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000458:organization & administration; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care