The HRB funded Irish Critical Care-Clinical Trials Network (ICC-CTN) was established in 2015 to support research being conducted by the Irish Critical Care-Clinical Trials Group (ICC-CTG) members.
The mission statement of the ICC-CTN is to improve outcomes (reducing mortality and morbidity) of patients requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) treatment, and to ensure that these outcomes are achieved in an efficient and effective manner that allows access to this critical resource to be maximised. The ICC-CTN aims to achieve this through supporting the conduct of high quality clinical trials on the Island of Ireland, based on the science, the potential to expand our network, the opportunity presented, the ability to build future researchers and to enhance opportunities for Irish patients to get access to high quality trials.
We have and continue to deliver on these aims by achieving key objectives:
To conduct world leading trials: Driving clinical practise The ICC-CTN has enhanced the critical care research landscape in Ireland, provided opportunities for our patients and clinicians to participate in paradigm changing trials, published in the highest impact journals (NEJM, JAMA) with results incorporated into treatment guidelines (Health Service Executive and World Health Organisation) to improve patient care and outcomes.
Establishing a world leading trial co-ordination centre: Supporting Researchers
The ICC-CTN is a leader of and a reliable partner for the conduct of critical care trials in Ireland and a co-ordinating centre delivering multi-national trials through our established international network of collaborating ICUs (>50). We have established the core trial coordination / methodology expertise, public patient involvement programs, knowledge exchange / dissemination platform necessary to support this network.
Improving clinical trial design: Improving Trial efficiency.
We have delivered innovative cluster (JAMA) and adaptive trials (JAMA) to generate new knowledge and in 2021 we will conduct an individual patient randomised registry trial. These designs increase efficiency and reduce research costs- embedding research into a learning healthcare system.
Training future clinical trialists: building depth and breadth into our community
The ICC-CTN has delivered research methodology training (66 total GCP last 5 yrs), workshops and training events, podcasts and videos and are incorporating formal mentorship and higher degree programs (funded in kind by UCD) into the ICC-CTN renewal.
Hearing the patients voice. We conduct stakeholder analyses, focus groups, public surveys, established public patient panels, published patient facing documents and patient advocacy.
Building our network sustainability, capacity and diversity:
We have year on year augmented network accessibility, network capacity (both geographical coverage and mix of hospitals types (university, regional etc). We have significantly expanded the scope of projects supported (early phase to phase III RCT’s), disease areas (COVID-19, sepsis, trauma, etc), innovative study designs (cluster, registry and adaptive trials) and aim to further grow our portfolio of CTN supported studies (investigator-initiated and industry studies) to support a pipeline of early phase studies to develop future Irish researchers.
Through these objectives we will continue to serve our patients and the ICU community to address evidence gaps and train the next generation of world class ICU researchers.
