Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network

Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network
Name	Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network
Abbreviation	PECARN
Formation	2001
Headquarters	United States
Region	United States
Membership	Pediatric emergency departments, research hospitals
Leader title	Network Chair

Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network

The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network is a multicenter clinical research network focused on improving emergency care for children through collaborative studies, evidence synthesis, and translation of findings into practice. Founded with funding mechanisms and institutional support, the network conducts randomized trials, observational studies, and quality improvement projects across academic centers, children's hospitals, and emergency departments. Its activities intersect with regulatory, policy, and clinical institutions to influence guidelines and standards of care.

History

The network was established following initiatives by federal agencies and academic consortia that included stakeholders from National Institutes of Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Emergency Medical Services for Children program, and other funders. Early convenings involved investigators from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Boston Children's Hospital, Seattle Children's Hospital Medical Center, Texas Children's Hospital, and university partners such as Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Collaborative frameworks echoed models used by networks like Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program and drew governance lessons from consortia such as Research Networks in Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Trials Network. Major milestones included multicenter protocol development, establishment of data coordinating centers, and first multicenter randomized controlled trials that paralleled efforts in networks like National Institutes of Health Clinical Center initiatives.

Organization and Governance

The network comprises multiple research nodes located at academic children's hospitals and affiliated emergency departments including institutions such as Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Children's Hospital Colorado, Children's National Hospital, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Governance includes an executive committee, steering committee, data coordinating center, and institutional review boards associated with participating centers, mirroring governance structures seen in Cooperative Research and Development Agreement models and advisory ties to agencies like Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Food and Drug Administration. Leadership roles have been held by prominent investigators from centers including Yale School of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Emory University School of Medicine. Operational support has been provided by core administrative units analogous to Clinical Trials Networks and ethics oversight coordinated with bodies such as Children's Oncology Group institutional frameworks.

Research Focus and Major Studies

The network's research agenda spans traumatic brain injury, sepsis, respiratory distress, concussion, febrile illness, asthma exacerbations, injury prevention, and diagnostic strategies. High-profile multicenter studies involved comparative effectiveness research and clinical prediction rules that influenced practice similarly to tools developed in Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development–supported consortia. Investigations drew on methodology from CONSORT Statement–style randomized trials and observational designs used by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance studies. Notable research addressed pediatric head trauma clinical decision rules comparable to those promulgated by experts affiliated with American Academy of Pediatrics, and large pragmatic trials paralleled work by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute networks. The network also conducted registry-based studies employing data methods akin to Get With The Guidelines registries and collaborated on diagnostic stewardship projects similar to those by Infectious Diseases Society of America working groups.

Funding and Partnerships

Primary funding was awarded through federal grant mechanisms from agencies including Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, and programmatic support from Emergency Medical Services for Children program. The network partnered with academic medical centers such as Yale-New Haven Hospital, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Rush University Medical Center, and funding collaborators including philanthropic organizations and foundations analogous to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Partnerships extended to professional societies and guideline developers like American College of Emergency Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and regulatory agencies including Food and Drug Administration for study oversight. Data coordinating collaborations mirrored infrastructures supported by Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program hubs.

Impact on Clinical Practice and Policy

Findings from the network informed clinical practice guidelines, quality measures, and policy recommendations adopted by entities such as American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and payer policy discussions involving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Studies influenced diagnostic imaging stewardship, antibiotic prescribing, and observation strategies in emergency departments at institutions including Massachusetts General Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and regional children's hospitals. The network's outputs have been cited in guideline updates, systematic reviews commissioned by organizations like Cochrane Collaboration, and evidence summaries used by guideline panels convened by National Guideline Clearinghouse–style bodies and international pediatric emergency groups such as European Society for Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care.

Training, Education, and Capacity Building

The network supports training of clinician-investigators, fellows, and research coordinators through mentorship programs with faculty from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine affiliates. Educational activities include investigator meetings, protocol development workshops, and methods training aligning with curricula from Society for Clinical Trials and fellowships modeled on programs at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Boston Children's Hospital. Capacity-building initiatives partnered with regional networks and professional societies such as American Academy of Pediatrics chapters and international collaborators including Paediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Ireland to expand multicenter research capability and promote career development for pediatric emergency investigators.

Category:Pediatric research networks